The Blue and Gold Issue 9

THE BLUE AND GOLD
The student’s voice • MICA (P) 200/03/2009 Issue 9 • March 2010

Being your own boss
in SMU...

THE BLUE AND GOLD Editor’s note
COMMUNICATIONS SECRETARY, SMUSA Dear readers,
Lee Cher Hern
Picking up this magazine would mean that you are part of a growing group of students: one that
MANAGING DIRECTOR
is not only updated with student trends but news that concerns you!
Owen Tan

ACTING MANAGING DIRECTOR
In this issue, our writers sprawled the school campus for new stories on school events and
Michael Ng student trends. From the arts festival to the marriage in SMU, we went around looking for things
that you were part of (like some of you during Patron’s Day) and you would want to know.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Ephraim Loy Student entrepreneurship has always been a dream state that SMU students hear about. Not only
is it the off-beaten path, it is also full of uncertainty. And if running a company for profit seems
ACTING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF too simple, try taking on a social enterprise for size.
Anthony Angela
Talking about size, one the our largest CCAs, SMUBE gained flak after releasing their official rate
MANAGING EDITOR card. Non-ACF clubs will now need to pay for SMUBE’s event services.
Ankita Prasad
Looking further from our school backyard, our world is facing a painful and dangerous reality: be
SENIOR EDITORS it terrorism or the environment. Globalisation has brough many more players onto the chess-
Esther Yeo board and it is going to be messy.
Talisa Kaur Dhaliwal
That’s the ninth edition for you and I do hope you would enjoy it! From all of us here at the Blue
EDITORS and Gold, We’ll see you again in August!
Nadim Ali Kapadia
Tobias Yeo Zhi Qiang Anthony Angela
Sheena Lee Acting Editor-in-Chief, The Blue and Gold
Aashna Nasta angelaa.2006@business.smu.edu.sg

GRAPHIC DESIGN
Chloe Sng
This issue of The Blue and Gold
is proudly sponsored by

THE BLUE AND GOLD is a fully student-run
publication of the Singapore Management
University Students’ Association. All rights
reserved. No part of this publication should
be reproduced without the prior permission of
the authors concerned and The Blue and Gold.
Printed by KHL Printing Co Pte Ltd.

The Blue and Gold
81 Victoria Street
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pubcomm@sa.smu.edu.sg

THE BLUE AND GOLD
March 2010 • Issue 9

Contents
Viewpoint 22 Writing can be a form of student Digital
4 Expectations of love activism 38 Picking the right smartphone for
Anthony Angela shares on Shobana Nadaraja finds out why from you
expectations when in love
this publication’s Editor-in-Chief Techonology blogger Daniel Tsou
5 Foreign workers? Foreign talent?
24 Getting a life — Managing CCAs helps us to find the perfect match
Cover Story
and GPAs Spotlight
6 Being your own boss... in SMU
Narem Gunawardana speaks to 40 From showbiz to business
Wang Sha checks out the
students to find out how they have time Travel
entrepreneur culture in SMU and
to actively pursue their CCAs 42 Korea through a native’s eyes
finds it thriving Chiang Chia Wen provides a glimpse
Worldscope
12 Creating the social enterprise of into the Korean cultural experience
28 Environmental efforts: The big
tomorrow 44 Vita in Italia
three
Anthony Angela explores the social Lim Si Hui discovers a new dimension
Sumedha Jalote studies the issues in
side of business of romantic Italy
climate change through three major
School Events 46 Unrestrained freedom
agreements
13 On turning 10! Michael Ng introduces us to the
30 Major environment conferences
Shreya Vora captures the highlights culture of student power in Hong
32 Reflections on the war on terror
of SMU’s 10th birthday celebrations Kong
Higher Learning
16 Meet your perfect brew in school 48 The Shangri-La I documented:
34 A milestone for the first HPair
Saunders Shen keeps up with beer Project Argali 2
2010 Asia conference
appreciation — SMU Barworkz Talisa Kaur Dhaliwal explores from
Sohail Sardana reveals how SMU will
newest hobby the edge of paradise
embrace future leaders worldwide
17 Sports at its best 50 Entering the USA: Easier than I
35 An encounter with the men in
Ephraim Loy attends the SSU Sports thought
white team
Awards Night Owen Tan gives his take on the
Anthony Angela unveils challenges
18 10th SMUSA sworn in security measures at US airports
behind the writing process
Michael Ng sums up the SMUSA
Campus Arts
Annual General Meeting 2010
36 SMU Arts Festival 2010: A
19 SMUBE’s new policy questioned
reflection
Michael Ng revisits the debate on
Denise Seetekbeng, Elle Lim, Kimberly
student remuneration
Yap and Teena Ngo look back on their
20 Being young and married in SMU
favourite art festive performances
Anthony Angela sits down and
discusses marriage in SMU

Viewpoint
ExpEctations of lovE
Anthony Angela shares on expectations when in love

Being absolutely career driven, I want to
be passionately in love with my career
(wherever it took me)…and my boy-
friend. But as things turn out, you cannot
always have the best of both worlds. We
are still working towards a compromise, I
still absolutely adore him and I think we’re
good.

Having the time to share would be the big
issue for students. For some of my sports
friends, they are lucky since both boy-
friend and girlfriend are in the same CCA,
but that’s not always the case. I believe
each relationship needs time to build
and if there is too little maintenance, it
crumbles because you’re not updated

“
...each relationship
needs time to build
and if there is too little
maintenance, it crumbles...”

I
t is the end of week 7 and my friends have shared their stories with me.
boyfriend’s family is still celebrat- Some get furious by the fact that their
ing Chinese New Year. Yes, and they other half demands too much from them with the latest on what your sweetheart is
invited me and I came and did my best to while others cry that their sweetheart thinking or feeling. Trouble starts here.
smile, chit-chat and hide the fact that I’m does not spend enough time with them. I
worried about that assignment that I have guess everyone has different expectations Tough as it sounds, we just have to deal
due or that reading that I haven’t done. of their beloved and letting them know with it. One of my all time favourite movie
That’s love for you I guess. yours should not be too damaging. quotes is from Star Trek’s Generations
movie: “When something’s important,
Having a relationship in SMU is absolute- Expectations can include the little things you make the time.” It is hard enough to
ly, at least for me, not simple. Due to my like being on time to the more serious get attached but to stay attached means
commitments in sports and now, in this matters like career progression – especial- working on the relationship. Sharing
publication, I realised that I haven’t spent ly for those thinking of working overseas. expectations may be the first part of that
that much time with my beloved. Though process and though it does not always
he is very understanding and does let me Why not let him know about your ambi- work, we at least have the knowledge
have my way, one can’t help but feel bad tion and ask him about his. This little that we tried.
for all the times I have made him wait (the conversation can help you understand
longest I remembered was three hours), what kind of life your dearie wants. Think about it!
all the times that I canceled on him and
all the times I wasn’t there for him. For me, expectations sharing came as a
surprise when I learnt where my boy-
But I’m certain that not everyone is as friend wanted to live in future. It was
lucky as me. Through my SMU life, totally not what I expected.
January 2010 THE BLUE AND GOLD 4

ViewPoint
Foreign workers? Foreign talent?
By Linette Lim

M
eet Labu, a 26-year old con- is Hong Kong, where minimum wage is of their siblings, children and parents. As
struction worker in Singapore. guaranteed by law. Piper and Yamanaka I sat in Sutha's restaurant off Cuff Road
Labu is unable to work because also assert that Filipino migrants in Hong registering workers that came in for free
of an injury to his right thumb. Without Kong are more likely to undertake col- meals, I realised I have not felt this happy
work, Labu goes without food. But that is lective action (in the form of organi-ed in a long time. I felt free, unjudged and
not all - there is no insurance payout, and protests) to oppose policies that threaten completely at ease in the presence of the
there is no medical care. There is no safety their economic rights. workers. We teased Abdul, one of the
net for the likes of Labu, because the gov- workers who was wearing sunglasses
ernment is not obligated to protect their Of course, in any discourse on the rights (due to an eye injury), saying that he
welfare. They are migrant workers. and treatment of migrant workers one now looks like a movie star. I entertained
should not solely examine government personal questions ("How much you earn-
I only started volunteering at Transient legislation. An issue of grave importance ing?") and explained the concept of volun-
Workers Count Too (TWC2) this year, is how Singaporeans perceive these teerism, drawing smiles and thumbs ups.
so I cannot claim to know much about foreigners and how we want them to be I impressed them with my vocabulary of
the situation. However, from what I have treated. Many citizens are either apa- twenty Hindi words (of which five are the
seen and learnt from migrant workers thetic or do not support equal rights for words for the numbers 1 to 5).
and TWC2 social workers thus far, it does migrants. Some fear that giving their
seem like manpower laws allow errant domestic helpers a mandatory day off will The most important part however, was
employers to get away with not paying give them opportunity to ‘fool around’ listening to their problems and offering
for medical bills resulting from work- with male company; while others claim solutions - in other words, making this
place accidents. It does seem like people that the low wages are justified by the for- wonderful place I call home a better place
like Labu are treated as mere factors of eign worker levy they have to pay. While for them to live in. Barely literate and
production or labour units. Dehumanis- these concerns are not unreasonable, poorly educated, Labu needs someone
ing them like this exempts one from treat- there is a need for greater understanding like you and me to stand on his side - to
ing them with dignity. and mutual respect between citizens and accompany him to the hospital, offer
migrants. legal help, or navigate the convoluted
In Prime Minister Lee’s speech at the hallways of the manpower building —
Nanyang Technological University Stu- Singapore in a recent UNDP report was and demand social justice.
dent’s Union Ministerial Forum in 2009, ranked 7th in average incomes, using
he stated that 55% of the non-citizens in GDP per capita (PPP US$) as an indicator.
Singapore are transient workers. The non- Even though Singapore has a relatively
citizen population currently stands at higher average income than many OECD
1.25 million. These transient workers are countries, we have not achieved similar
denied basic rights, like mandatory days human development, ranking only 23rd
off and minimum wage. Unlike foreign in the Human Development Index. Can
talent that needs to be wooed with incen- this paradox of economic growth be ap-
tives, these transient workers are in large plied to the Singaporean individual?
supply, and will agree to any terms of
employment. This sets up opportunities Perhaps in our pursuit of economic
for exploitation. well-being we have dehumanised not just
migrant workers, but ourselves as well.
In their 2007 book on migration in East
and Southeast Asia, researchers Piper and Once we stop seeing them as factors of
Yamanaka classify Malaysia and Singa- production, we can relate to them as
pore as migrant-receiving countries that human beings, as brothers and sisters,
“severely curtail pro-migrant actions”. or fathers and mothers who have come a
The most liberal migrant-receiving area long way from home to improve the lives
5 THE BLUE AND GOLD January 2010

Being your own
boss... in SMU
Wang Sha checks out the
entrepreneur culture in SMU and
finds it thriving
Photos by Wayne Lim Ting Ke and Wang Guangzhao

SMU life can be stressful but certainly not enough to get to Adam Teow Li Chong.
Adam is part of a group of students in SMU who run their own businesses while
studying.

A third year student at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, he is the founder of
Achievers Science, a subsidiary of Edulink Learning Centre. Achievers Science carries
out workshops in Singapore and reaches out to more than 250 students, generating
revenue of more than $10,000 a month.

Adam’s passion to create Achievers Science start- By the time he decided to start his own busi-
ed at the age of 18 when he was in India. “I went ness, Adam had been in the tuition industry for
to New Delhi for army training, I saw kids along 5 years. He taught tuition, ran workshops for
the street begging for money. At that time it hit schools and centers. He had also completed a
me that someone should reach out to educate 10 month leadership training that gave him the
them.” He remembers. And with that, there was courage and confidence to start up Achievers
no turning back. Science. Adam’s first investor was his mother; He
paid her back with the profit within a month.

Adam’s big break came. He won a contract to run science initiatives available like The Loft below (where Screme is at) and
courses with a local organisation. After that, other opportunities Treehouse.
streamed in.
For those interested in participating in bazaars and business re-
Adam was approached in April last year, by an international lated activities, consider the initiatives from BIZCOM, the finan-
publisher to write two books on learning science and is now cial arm of SMUSA. Their aim is to create a practical business
having one of them published. environment for students. The club organises bazaars that allow
students to set up their own booth and experience running their
The road for an entrepreneur, however, has never been an easy own shop. Jack Moy, a second-year business student and director
one. Desmond Lim Huang Hui is one of the students behind of the SMU-BIZCOM described the club as a place for everyone,
Treehouse at SMU. He shared how the lack of experience and
knowledge of running a cafe became a serious issue. “The profits that we make through organising events are all
channeled to students. This channels include SMUSA activities,
“We found that our ideas were not feasible when we started to freebies etc.”
prepare. We were not sure how to start because we didn’t have
much experience. We have to make decisions based on nothing, Another initiative that aspiring entrepreneurs should look to-
from what kind of plates to buy to what decorations are needed.” ward is The Institute of innovation and entrepreneurship (IIIE).
The IIE was launched in 2009 with the help of various initia-
The team behind Screme, consisting of Seth Lui and Leong Tang, tives provided by the Singapore government. Adeline C. Tan,
both final-year business students and Rachel Tan Weili, a senior the Evangelist of SMU IIE, shared with us that aspiring SMU
in economics, also faced similar problems. They had a tough entrepreneurs could get help through the whole innovation
time at first. Seth recalled those time when things went wrong, entrepreneurship value chain.
“We had little revenue, we ran out of supplies, we got so stressed.
Teamwork also played an important role.” Students could consult with experienced business mentors; get
access to an incubation space, the Business Innovation Genera-
As they say, if there’s a down, there must be an up and for an- tor (BIG) to run their business. They also can take advantage of
other student entrepreneur Chua Zhi Hon, David that could be the Entrepreneurs Corner, a monthly networks session to meet
his experience in a nutshell. David is one of the co-founders of investors. So far, IIE has assisted 23 start ups in their pursuit for
Baboonza.com, a successful IS project extension which just got entrepreneurship. Adeline emphasised: “Our focus will always
government funding SMART. be on quality more so than quantity.”

In 2007, David started his first business, Frro LLP, together with The risk involved
a NTU student and an engineer. He recalled, “Frro LLP was my It is necessary to think through all the pros and cons of starting
first registered business. It was an IT company, which provided student ventures. Pursuing this path is exciting, but also requires
web posting and IT solutions. We provided small businesses courage, perseverance and the willingness to sacrifice.
with consultancy services and helped them go online.” The
Frro LLP, however, ran only for a year or so and David moved on Seth recalled his life when he first started: “We are either in
to Baboonza.com, an IT solution that fuses online search with school or here “. When Rachel, who is also juggling with her
social networking. “At many stages in my life, I was either run- grade, was asked how to balance, she answered “Grades are
ning websites or doing other projects. It is my dream to create important, so in my final year I will work more on it.
something that can help people. I cannot imagine life without
my own business.” Jack shared with us his thoughts: “My first year was nothing but
study. But if you give up an opportunity to try out something
Similar thoughts were shared by Rachel from Screme, who didn’t new because of fear for lower GPA, you will lose track of more
intend to become an entrepreneur. “I learnt time management important things in life.”
and communication skills. Most importantly, I discovered the
thing I want to do.” For those who are interested in becoming student entrepreneurs,
Adam suggested: “Never be afraid to try. Have courage to jump
Starting up a business of your own into new experiences. And always remember to push yourself
For those looking to start their own venture, take a peek at the to the limit of your abilities! You will be surprised what you will
available options in and around school for help. For those inter- find living your life at the edge.”
ested in the cafes, OSL and SMUSA have some student-friendly

sMU claiMs that its stUdEnts arE
daring and willing to takE risk.
To prove if this statement was true, The Blue and Gold went in search for
entrepreneurs in SMU and realised that there are quite a number of students and
graduates running their own businesses.

Agnes Ang
School of Information
Systems, Year 4
The Venture: Agnes is one of the
founders of Tocco Studios, a multi-
touch solutions provider. Tocco
focuses on big screen multi-touch
systems allowing two to four people
can collaborate with ease.

Tocco Studios offers services that ca-
ter to the entire value chain includ-
ing interface design and production.

Contact: For more information on
the multi-touch solutions available,
do contact Agnes at agnes@toc-
costudios.com

Anthony Chang Chia Joo
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Year 4
The Venture: Anthony started Prosperity Bird Nests Pte Ltd recently. He aims to sell
processed bird’s nests to Chinese restaurants in western countries.
A word of caution for those who are interested in the bird’s nest business, Anthony
says learning about bird’s nest is awfully expensive. Once, he went for a one day
course on bird’s nest and it cost him a whopping $1,000!

Contact: For those who would like have find out more about Anthony and his bird’s
nest, contact him at chiajoo.2006@smu.edu.sg

Keith Ng and
Damon Widjaja
Lee Jun Kiat SMU graduates
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, The Venture: Keith and Damon are the founders of Socialico. Their flagship
Year 2 product is the FAME league, a social game that allows one to buy and sell
shares of friends and celebrities on a virtual stock market. That then pro-
The Venture: Jun Kiat started Reactive Design vides information and predictions of different events becoming a powerful
with some friends in JC1. They started with stage system for data collection.
designs and event photo productions but today,
after six years of experience, their service offerings The Fame league is currently available on Facebook and has been selected as
include advertising, branding, copywriting, T-shirt one of the 50 finalists (out of 400) in the fbFund 2009.
printing and much much more.
Contact: Check them out on Facebook at Fame league or visit www.famelea-
For those looking for an effective and affordable gue.com
advertising, visit http://www.reactive-design.com.
sg

Contact: You can also contact Jun Kiat at
reactive.design@gmail.com

David
Chua Zhi Hon
School of Information Systems,
Year 3
The Venture: David and two other SMU students
run Baboon za.com, a new kind of website that
blends your social network with your online
searches.

Baboonza.com is now funded by the Singapore-
MIT Alliance for Research and Technology
Explorer Grant and is in the midst of raising 2nd
round funding from venture capitalists.

Contact: You can drop David an email at
me@dchua.com

Creating the social enterprise of tomorrow
Anthony Angela explores the social side of business

M
ost SMU students would not stand how the outcome could be carried “If the organisation is an entity that runs
choose social work as a career out. It’s not easy to make money out of a business and earns profit that goes back
route. They usually complete this.” And therein lay the first problem to the entity, then the organisation can be
their 80 hours and continue with studies, that many social enterprises face. self-sufficient. This brings many benefits
internships and many other activities. But in terms of providing employment for
for Goh Aik Chuan, he does everything A more general problem is the public’s your beneficiaries. You don’t have to rely
the normal SMU student does, apart from reaction to donations made to NGOs. “The on charity or funds from the government.
one: running a consultancy program for public still thinks that every dollar that You can get your own source of income.”
NGOs. they donate, the full dollar should go to
Despite possible negative social respons-
Aik Chuan, a final year economics stu- es, support for the movement into social
dent in SMU, is part of a growing number enterprises seems to be looking good, at
of individuals and groups in Singapore least in SMU.
starting social enterprises. Though his or-
ganisation is technically not an organisa- Edwin estimated that there were around
tion, the program has been successful and 70 members in the ISE with 30 of them
running for a few years. actively involved in projects locally and
abroad. “Usually when people join ISE,
He started the idea of consultancy they do it for varying reasons. Some of
with the intention of changing the way them join because they want to start
students got involved in community proj- their own business while others because
ects. “Students are trained in marketing of their passion for community services.”
and crunching numbers and many other Edwin said. What is particularly interest-
skills that are much needed in the non ing is that the projects themselves are
profiting world especially at low cost.” As almost independently run with periodical
such, Aik Chuan and some friends came monitoring from the vice-president of
together and after a failed attempt at projects at the ISE.
market research, they settled on consul-
tancy. “We decided to cover the larger In Singapore, where the social enterprise
scope of the value chain where someone scene is young and small, Aik Chuan
had to implement ideas.” enlightens on me situations one would be
facing, “There are not many case studies
To date, Consulting for Cause has profes- and not many people you could look at or
sional advisors and permanent team seek advice from.” As such, there are two
leaders like Aik Chuan to run the daily the poor. There’s no such thing as the full things that you need, according to Aik Ch-
operations of the program. Student vol- dollar going to the poor. There’s adminis- uan. One is entrepreneurial spirit and the
unteers come in for each project with a trative cost, there’s a project management second, ego. “The truth is that you have
permanent team leader who guides them cost and many other cost associated with to have certain sense of value of yourself.
to complete their projects successfully. a dollar donated.” You have to know that you can accom-
But things are not as smooth sailing as it plish something and you have to have the
seems. The same thing applies to social enterpris- guts to say that you can accomplish it.”
es. Speaking to the vice-president of the
Aik Chuan laments, “We have come to SMU-ISE (Initiative of social enterprises)
realise that NGO in Singapore are not Edwin Leong Chen Sheng, he makes it
very familiar with the concept of consult- clear that social enterprises are entirely
ing. They don’t know what is expected of different from the traditional NGOs.
them and they don’t necessarily under-

School

School Events
Events
On turning 10!
Shreya Vora captures the highlights of SMU’s 10th birthday celebrations

Photos by Tan Zeyan, Michael Ng Wai
Ting and Patron’s Day Committee

W
e’re finally 10. What a celebra- Free flow! MegaTwister was a game developed right
tion it was! A sea of students We were drawn like bees are to honey, to from scratch for this special occasion.
wearing the 10VE SMU the well-stocked food stalls, enticing us Nine teams battled it out fiercely, but the
t-shirts shed off their studious personas with goodies ranging from ice-cream to Dragon Ball 1 team beat the rest to win
for a while, and came together at Campus hot and spicy Ramly burgers! While no the war. Good job guys!
Green to salute SMU’s ten years of excel- one complained about the free Mountain
lence, effort and endurance. The three Dew and 7UP Revive which quenched our Bouncing to the beat
months of hard work and planning put in thirst in the scorching heat, it was the free The new, peppy soundtracks that were
by the organising committee culminated beer that kept everyone’s spirits high. being played added to the fun and frolic.
in the most happening ‘birthday party’ in Those in search of a little more thrill and
town! We recapture for you the ten most Poker with a twist excitement bounced their way through
exciting activities at this fiesta: A combination of Twister and Poker, the music on the bungee trampoline.

School Events

Face-off! dent life at SMU was portrayed through Faculty have made our institution reach
The different CCAs and school teams let the displays of the different Constituent new heights of success.
their muscles do the talking and compet- Bodies such as the SICS, SMUX, SSU, SMU
ed against each other, while the rest of the Icon, etc. This display, along with the SMU’s got talent!
school rooted for their favourite teams, warm greetings from the SMU faculty and The celebratory performances by Just So,
in the most energy-filled event of the day, students, was a perfect welcome to SMU Eurhythmix and Samba Masala added an-
the Tug-o-War. The Sailing team and Bon- Patron, President SR Nathan, who graced other dimension to the formal segment of
due emerged as the champion tuggers. the occasion. the celebrations. They indeed portrayed
the true flavour of SMU’s spirit and cul-
Artistic expressions Words of wisdom ture. The ceremony was concluded with
A hand-drawn caricature, beautiful Hen- The ceremony was inaugurated by the Chamber Choir seeking blessings for
na on your hands and a creative airbrush President Howard Hunter, whose words, SMU in Irish.
design on your casual top — all for a mere “In less than a decade, SMU has grown
S$25! Where else would you get such a from an idea on the drawing board to a Soaring high
great deal? No wonder these stalls were so vibrant university,” perfectly described In the days leading up to Patron’s Day,
overcrowded! the University’s growth in a nutshell. Mr. some members of the SMU community
Ho Kwon Ping, Chairman of the Board of — students, faculty and staff alike – had
Spectacular spectacles Trustees, highlighted how SMU is syn- penned their wishes for the University’s
The stilt walkers and a magician com- onymous to an agent of change and urged tenth birthday on three gigantic, com-
pleted the transformation of the Campus us to continue our pursuit for excellence. memorative balloons. On D-day, the pink,
Green into a carnival ground. The various The third speaker of the day was Mr Lim white and blue balloons soared high and
stalls and joy-ride added to the ambience. Kong Wee, Valedictorian of the Graduat- lit up the sky at dusk.
ing Class of 2004. Remembering his days
A walk to remember at SMU, he spoke about how the faith of Of course, that was by no means the end.
A glimpse of the vibrant and dynamic stu- the students and the effort put in by the In fact, the party had just begun! Students

School Events
satisfied their building hunger-pangs at
the all-you-can-eat mass barbeque and
feasted their eyes at the SMU-ASEAN
Artist Residency Exhibition, Content: A
Navigating Point at T-junction. This was
followed by parties at student hotspots
- Screme and Ice Cold B’s. As promised
to us, everyone was truly a VIP at this
birthday bash. Remembering the past
and anticipating the bright future, we
commemorated the tenth year of our exis-
tence in a very memorable way indeed.

Here’s to SMU — We 10ve You!


School Events

Meet your perfect brew in school
Saunders Shen keeps up with beer appreciation — SMU Barworkz newest hobby

S
MU Barworkz, in collaboration with
a group of NTU students, organised
the first ever beer appreciation
event at SMU recently. From 12 to 2 pm
on the 14th of January, “Meet your Perfect
Brew” and Brewerkz offered SMU students
free beer samples ranging from Iguana to
Fruit and Golden Ale to Oatmeal.

One of the organisers, Chrystal Chan who
is a fourth-year student from NTU’s Wee
Kim Wee School of Communication &
Information had initiated this project.
Together with her team of like-minded in-
dividuals, they are striving to reach out to
tertiary level students here in Singapore.

The team intends to offer students an
alternative to the conventional hard li-
quor and spirits that most students would
consume during their “down time”. Their
aim is to raise awareness and change the
perception that people have towards beer. introducitng the various types of beer Not only did this project aim to allow
that Brewerkz has to offer. Their intention students to appreciate the taste of beer,
“The complexities involved in the appre- is to show that there are alternatives to but also it aimed to increase awareness
ciation of beer can be equally as challeng- the regular Tiger or Carlsberg found in on the beer brewing process and how
ing and fun as wine,” said Chrystal. the market. Brewerkz offers an exciting Brewerkz differentiates itself with their
array of beers, from interesting fruit beers unique flavours.
Beer unfortunately had long been as- to more exotic flavours like pumpkin
sociated with the negative image of infused beers. This is the first event of its kind to be
“old-uncles” sitting by the coffee shops, co-hosted by Barworkz. Barworkz is an
drinking beer while watching a soccer Tan Jin Li, who is assisting Chrystal in SMU Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) that
match according to Chrystal. Students do this project, has admitted that a plau- focuses more on cocktails, flair bartend-
not like to be associated with this image sible disinterest in beer could possibly ing (the art of manipulating bar tools for
and hence avoid consuming beer. stemmed from its lack of availability. The entertainment e.g. juggling the bottles)
project’s target audience, being tertiary and promotes bartending skills.
There are also others who are repulsed by students, frequent clubs like Zouk or The
the slight bitterness of beer. “By varying Butter Factory for a night of party and Barworkz may look into further devel-
the basic ingredients of the beer brewing many have a preference for hard liquor. oping beer appreciation courses if the
process, the acidity of the drink can be response from the school is good.
altered to suit one’s taste,” said Chrystal. Brewekrz has brought beer to another
“Like wine with its grapes - it is all about level of appreciation but their beer
finding the right beer.” choices are not readily available at the
clubs. Nevertheless, Brewerkz prides itself
With the help of Brewerkz, a popular as an alternate joint for relaxation and/or
chain of restaurants that brews its own a place to have silly banter with friends
beers, Chrystal and her team have been and colleagues.

SSU Sports Awards Night
Honour Roll
W

SSU Smart Jock Award
Catherine Chua, SMU Sailing

“I thought no one was looking” Award
Ong Jet Wui, SMU Run Team

Sports at its best SMU Best Biceps Award
Allen Poon, SMU Dragonboat

Ephraim Loy attends the SSU Sports Awards Night SSU Hottest Legs Award
Agnes Yap, Women’s Rugby

I
f there was one thing that made the SMU Sailing was a big winner at this year’s Concourse Head Turner Award
annual SSU Sports Award Night a ceremony bagging four awards in total. And SMU Track and Field
memorable one, it would be the format it is not an easy feat. The team had been
of presenting the awards. Not to mention the working hard since last year and has been Face of SSU Award
pun the organisers adopted for their tagline supportive of SSU events over the past year.
Ashley Liew, SMU Aquathlon
— super awesome night. From getting nomi-
nees to drink a clear liquid from a shot glass, Said Christopher: “The team put a lot of
to a pole dance item by winning SSU Team effort. There’s no secret to success and ev- Competitive Excellence Club Award
of the Year, SMU Dragonboat, there wasn’t an eryone played their role well. The club takes 09/10
awesome lack of stunts. in new people and it is the well structured SMU Sailing
training programme and the commitment
The event took a markedly different approach. and dedication of the seniors that help to Sportsman of the Year Award
While previous awards ceremonies organised train the new members. It is about mentor- Koh Seng Leong, SMU Sailing
by SSU were held in SMU, this year’s event was ship, faith in the structure and the sending of
held at The Butter Factory. freshmen for competitions.” Sportswoman of the Year Award
Tan Siobhan, SMU Sailing
“Sports Awards Night is a casual affair, not Proceeds from the event will be channeled
about regime - it is about showing a different towards fund-raising for SSU according to its
side of sportsmen and sportswomen,” de- Events Manager, Poon Wei Xian. SSU Team of the Year Award
scribed by SMU Sailing’s President, Christo- SMU Dragonboat
pher Lim, who also contributed to the mood
of the event through his role as the emcee.

School Events

10th SMUSA sworn in
Michael Ng sums up the SMUSA Annual General Meeting 2010

play a pivotal role as well. She cited past
dialogue sessions with the faculty that
sought to bridge the gap between faculty
and students.

We are students too
“Just like you, we are students,” incoming
SMUSA President Sophia Lo acknowl-
edged. “Your journey in SMU will not be
lonely. SMUSA will always be there with
you and for you.”

She also revealed that there would be
more regular feedback sessions for the
students. SMUSA would also be look-
ing to interact and communicate with
students via Facebook as well.

T
his year’s SMUS Annual General Internally, the outgoing Exco faced some
Meeting brought an end to the challenges. On separate occasions, two Sophia also highlighted that there has
bumpy ride for the outgoing Exco members of the Exco left due to personal been increasing importance placed on
and unloaded a new burden on shoulders issues. The remaining members took on striving for academic excellence by SMU
for the incoming one. the extra responsibilities as they felt that students. Thus, the 6th Students’ As-
they were able to handle it on their own. sociation Council (SAC) will aim to help
The outgoing SMUSA Exco presented The duties were either administrative in students cope with academic excellence.
their past achievements to the students nature, or overlapped with other Exco
present. Many ad-hoc issues, which the members’ roles. After alerting the relevant In a separate meeting with Tessa Ang,
Exco was not prepared for, such as the offices regarding the situation, SMUSA SMUSA Vice-President, it was revealed
change in the Group Study Room booking President Rachel Kok said, “We braced that the school CBd’s will be streamlin-
policies and the recent rise in carpark ourselves, sucked it up and just did it.” ing events such as Know Thy Major talks
rates were cited. and opening more networking sessions
There was also trouble with succession for students with professionals from the
In addition, a new position in the Exco in this year’s Elections Committee. The field.
was initiated to meet changing needs. past practice has always been that one
This included an International Students’ member from the previous commit- The SMUSA Exco will also be looking
Secretary to manage the affairs of the tee would stay behind to head the new into BOSS bidding, and find ways to
increasing international student popula- committee. This year, however, all four of improve the system for students. They
tion in SMU. the past committee members had either will be releasing the student satisfac-
graduated or were on exchange. Thus, the tion survey soon to compile figures on
The SMUSA Exco further streamlined committee was formed purely from FTB the academic issues that students face.
financial paperwork for clubs with the facilitators who happened to be available. Substantial recommendations for change
introduction of a cashless deposit via AXS to the university administration would be
machines and a new claims process. A In her final speech as SMUSA President, made thereafter.
dialogue session was held with student Rachel Kok commented that the respon-
constituent representatives to discuss on- sibility of the changes to student life does
going financial issues. Budget standards not only lie in the hands of the SA. Rather,
were also set for clubs to keep expendi- staff from the administration offices, fac-
tures in check. ulty and the general student population

School Events
SMUBE’s new policy questioned
Michael Ng revisits the debate on student remuneration

A
new policy by the SMU Broadcast whether they need grand scale sound “There may be instances where friends
and Entertainment (SMUBE) to system,” Michael Quilindo, SMUBE Vice- with DSLRs will volunteer to cover events
charge clubs for providing emcees, President said. SMUBE sees the rate card or take Exco photos pro bono. However,
equipment, and stagehands has roused at- as pushing organisers to do better plan- that should not be an expectation placed
tention on campus. A rate card, listing the ning for their events since there is money on all photographers,” according to a
pricing and conditions, was formed with involved. It should be fine as long as clubs statement from the club.
the approval of the Office of Student Life budget for their events properly, now that
(OSL), Arts and Cultural Fraternity (ACF) OSL and SA are fully aware of the rates. “Taking on an assignment involves tre-
and the Student’s Association Council. mendous effort before and after the actual
Compensation shoot, and photographers should be
“The fact is that we are just a club that The ethical debate on whether students rewarded and recognised for their work,”
fosters interest and we help people learn should be compensated for their efforts on the statement reiterated.
about all aspects of media,” said Amanda campus is not new.
Voon, SMUBE President. “Helping other “In addition, photographers own and
clubs is just a sideline effort that has SMUBE’s official release on the remu- maintain their own equipment, and these
grown over the years,” she added. neration states that the policy “give(s) our costs should definitely be covered … Just
members an incentive to continue sup- because the photographer happens to be a
The SMUBE situation porting (clubs) events on top of their own student of the same educational institute
First and foremost, SMUBE is obliged to BE activities and schoolwork”. Michael does not detract from the fact that effort
provide their services to certain universi- feels that members of SMUBE are always has been put in and the use of his/her
ty-wide events demarked by OSL, and em- the “unsung heroes” behind events. There equipment incurs costs on the part of the
cees on the Arts Excellence Programme needs to be some token of appreciation for photographer,” explained SMUSAIC.
(AEP) have to serve for ACF events as well their efforts.
as university-wide events. ACF events A compromise
come free as SMUBE receives long-term When asked if students were taken advan- People familiar with the situation have
annual funding and support from ACF tage of because they worked for free Art- said that providing stagehands is already
and OSL. dicted President, Lin Ding Xiang replied: at a cheaper rate. Without providing
“Sometimes, if students do not understand financial incentives, SMUBE would
SMUBE serves over 90 events per term, why they do something they are asked to simply not have anyone left to do events
bringing it to an average of three events do, they will usually end up feeling that and clubs will have to foot the full cost of
per week. It reserves the right to reject they’ve been taken for granted. Hence, it hiring external organisers.
requests from clubs. “It’s not nice, espe- is always important for them to question
cially when (clubs) come in last minute themselves or the person who assigned the SMUBE also proposed that for smaller
and don’t have any alternatives,” Amanda task, why they are doing it.” events, clubs could borrow Passport
commented. Fenders-simple-to-use portable amplifiers
Ding Xiang added that “the school pro- from SMUBE for free to cut costs.
Resource allocation vides all the necessary opportunities and
“Any creative service depends on man- platforms for students to expose them- Also, events organised by schools or
power, availability, etc. Resource alloca- selves within their area of interest. And school CBds should look to seek help
tion is crucial.” SMUSAIC commented in return, the students should give back from the IITS (previously known as
on SMUBE’s rate card: “A rate card will to the school by providing services that CIT), which supports requests for audio
help (SMUBE) focus energy on more require their area of specialisation.” visual equipment from academic schools
important events, and sieve out those that (including CBds), centres and corporate
lack support to the artistes, performers or SMUSAIC, on the other hand, feels dif- offices, but not CCA clubs.
insincere and half-baked proposals.” ferently when asked whether students
should charge for their on-campus assign-
“Event organisers will have to think ments.

School Events

Being young and married in SMU
Anthony Angela sits down and discusses marriage in SMU

B
eing young at SMU is not a big divorce rate has been on the
deal. After all, everyone’s between Financial rise, from 4,705 in 2006
the age of 18 to 24 for the ladies concerns to 5,155 in 2008 ac-
and a little older for the guys. But being could easily cording to the
young and married would send many become a Depart-
heads turning and lead to gossip that problem ment of
would spread like wildfire, through the for couples Statistics.
concourse, to all six schools. who Such
forget the rates,
But before anyone starts thinking “shot- practical though worrying,
gun”, there are those, in our school, that aspects of do not shake Aaron’s con-
are not shotgun triggered. Aaron Khoo Fu marriage. fidence in his union.
Chern’s marriage is one example. He wed Aaron
last October as the term was nearing to an said that “Because I come from
end and recounted to me what his friends’ while he a Christian back-
first reactions were. “They thought I was had used ground, we try our best
bluffing them. They could not believe many not to resort to divorce. It is
it until we showed them the ring,” he of his really the Biblical principle that
laughed. contacts, you shouldn’t. At the most, we go for
the entire wedding, including the photo counseling.”
The idea of marriage had begun when shoot, still cost him around $40,000. Un-
Aaron joked with his mother about get- less one is already working, footing such a To play it safe, Aaron also underwent a
ting married on the 10 October, 2009. The bill would be difficult. pre-marital course to help him and his
effect of such an idea sparked an immedi- other half prepare for life after mar-
ate response. “My mother took me seri- For Aaron, his parents footed the bill. Aar- riage. “I met up with my pastor to talk us
ously and told me to go and book now!” on recalled: “They said if they make a loss, through, to make sure we know what we
he remembers clearly. As unique as such they will take it. If there were any profits, are getting into before we get into it. So,
a response is, Aaron’s family had seen the they will keep it. I think my parents were we are more mentally prepared in case
marriages of all his sibling sisters — and very kind to sponsor the whole thing.” anything goes wrong and hopefully noth-
with him married, his parents, particu- ing will go wrong,” Aaron said.
larly his mother, would be more at ease. In fact, this has been the case for shotgun
“My mother said that with me married, a marriages too. Timothy Hsi, Assistant Such marriage preparatory courses are
burden had been lifted off her shoulders.” Director at the Centre of Counseling and available through various religious
Guidance at SMU shared that in shotgun communities and are also offered by the
Aaron is a part of the minority of males marriages parents are generally sup- Ministry of Community Development,
who have married below the general portive of their children once the issue Youth and Sports.
marrying age of 29 (for guys) as published is exposed to them. However, he also
in the Department of Statistics database. highlighted that support from friends is Considering Aaron’s love story, one can
He reflects on his choice to marry young equally important due to the image that somewhat understand that there is noth-
as one that enhances stability. “Once you pregnant girls who are still studying have. ing quite wrong with marrying young.
get married, you have less to think about.
There’s this uncertainty about the whole “In our culture, we’re still very Asian and
dating thing that sometimes keeps a though we seem to be more westernised
person distracted.” and open-minded, we are still very con-
-Such distraction, though eliminated, servative.”
does not replace other issues that arise
with marrying early. As conservative as we are, Singapore’s

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Is there any way to calculate the limit?

As a general rule, we should not use more than 35% of our net take-home pay to
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Before we start a purchase installment plan or take on another one, we must first
determine whether the purchase is a need or a want. If John wants to change
his TV that is working fine to a brand new 42 inch flat screen TV - just because
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Chan Keng Leong, CFP, ChFC, MBA
Installment plans for purchases seem attractive as they enable one to own things
without actually paying in full. It also allows the consumer to buy numerous Chan Keng Leong joined Prudential Assur-
items with the same monetary amount. For example, if John has $1,000 to spend ance Singapore in 1994 and is now a Finan-
on his new house’s electrical appliances, he can either purchase one flat screen cial Services Director. He achieved numer-
42 inch TV that costs $1,000 or he can use instalment plans to purchase five ous awards and recognition, including
$1,000 items, paying $200 down-payment for each of the items. Sounds good, Life Member of the Million Dollar Round
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2. Is there a way I can mitigate the risk of cyclical unemployment? (i.e. every Keng Leong is among the first batch of
three to five years) local Certified Financial Planners (CFP) in
Singapore in Year 2000. He was the Head
Cyclical unemployment occurs when there is not enough aggregate demand in of Certification and Examination in Fi-
the economy. It varies with the business cycle – it rises during economic down- nancial Planning Association of Singapore
turns and falls when the economy improves. During a downturn, the demand (FPAS) for four years. He was also FPAS’
falls for most goods and services, hence less production is needed and conse- immediate past Vice President.
quently fewer workers are needed & unemployment results.
As a financial planning practitioner, Keng
If you are in a job that is affected by cyclical business cycles, take action well Leong is a frequent writer of financial
in advance of any developments. Constantly upgrade your skills to ensure that articles in the local newspaper. He is a
you stay relevant. Lateral transfers, additional duties and responsibilities, and well sought-after speaker and has spoken
even internal job applications are all good ways of avoiding any crisis. During a at many local conventions and seminars,
restructuring exercise, choose new jobs if you are given a choice, as they will be including LUA Singapore, insurance com-
stable for a while. panies, Singapore Institute of Banking and
Finance, MoneySense, MINDEF etc. He has
The alternative is to switch to jobs which are not in danger of being restructured. also spoken on many overseas platforms,
This requires doing more work but it is worth it. You can also do this as a form of including the prestigious Million Dollar
career progression too, adding value to your CV. Round Table Annual Meeting. He has been
interviewed frequently for his views on
However, dodging bullets is a lot easier if you are not in the target zone. Choose financial matters.
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keep acquiring skills that your chosen industry requires, you will not fear when
the dreadful day comes.

School Events

Writing can be a form of student activism
Shobana Nadaraja finds out why from this publication’s Editor-in-Chief

W
riting is a form of student ministration for holding on to its beliefs. editor is also a diplomat, someone with
activism if the words of “We receive calls from the offices when strong project management skills and
Ephraim Loy, Editor-in-Chief we touch on sensitive issues. However, has to feel the pulse of life on campus,”
of The Blue and Gold, are anything to go as long as our claims are backed up by he adds.
by. evidence there is nothing too sensitive
that cannot appear in The Blue and Gold. “Initially it went up, then it steeped
The recent SMU graduate now works for Ultimately we are the representatives of downwards, after which it rose up
the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Or- students’ voices and they have the right to again. If you were to ask me if I regret
ganising Committee but is still evidently be well-informed.” not focusing solely on my studies, I will
addicted to this school publication. say no without any hesitation. Not only
One such incident was the stolen BIZ- have I been actively involved in school
He recalls the early years of his as a writer COM T-shirts which had rippled rumors activities but also in external activities.
with the now defunct SMU publication throughout the student body. “As a publi- Through my social interaction outside, I
Vie. cation, we strive to report on issues that had managed to secure two internships
students are concerned about. And this which have proven to be a valuable expe-
“My first article hit out at a poorly organ- was something on everyone’s lips - there rience to my personal development. My
ised student activity by the SMU Students’ was so little information in the open and philosophy in life is that maintaining an
Association (SMUSA) in 2006. SMUSA has so much speculation on what had hap- excellent GPA is not everything. Having
evolved over the years though there were pened.” Ephraim recalls. said that, I am not denying that GPA is im-
fewer candidates putting themselves up portant but having an extensive network
for office,” he reflects. The activist streak in him set a chain of outside of school is also important,” he
events in place including requesting a says matter-of-factly.
“The team started The Blue and Gold from statement from the Dean of Students on
scratch in 2007. We had no resources – the incident and meeting with SMU’s Ephraim elaborates that the skills SMU
just a group of enthusiastic students.” senior management on the issue a few has imparted have been practical. For
days later. instance, he mentions that the numerous
The new publication started off as a presentations over the years have given
newspaper which later became a student Ephraim hopes that clearer communica- him the confidence to put across his
magazine. The Blue and Gold was a tion can be established by having more ideas and to actively seek opportunities
vehicle to engage students in discussion dialogue sessions or even having SMUSA independently. But more importantly, be-
of issues that are dear to them, aimed to parliament sessions. ing part of The Blue and Gold has geared
provide students with facts and figures to him to be involved in student activism
make informed decisions. “This SMUSA parliament session can be — something that is evident even now,
convened twice in a year. Perhaps months within The Blue and Gold.
Ephraim shared that he feels that writing before parliament sits, members from the
is a form of non-violent protest. It not SAC can go around soliciting feedback
only uses peaceful means to solve con- from students. When SMUSA parliament
flicting issues but is powerful enough to is in session, members in the SAC debate
represent the voice of the students. openly amongst themselves about issues
they feel strongly for in front of students,”
“Do not keep issues within yourself. Voice he suggests.
it out, talk about it and find solutions for
improvement but make sure you have the While there are the challenging situa-
facts to back it up,” he says. tions an Editor-in-Chief has to face, noth-
ing beats being in the part of the team at
Sometimes, however, the publication has the Blue and Gold. “You know, an editor
to face the pressure from the school ad- is not an individual that only edits but an

Digital
“

School Events
As a publication, we strive to report on issues
that students are concerned about.”

Section Ephraim Loy
Editor-in Chief, The Blue and Gold

Digital Collaboration Made Easy
Lee Jun Kit checks out applications that make life simpler

Not just black and white: Student
activism should be encouraged in
an institution that thrives itself
on being confident and articulate.
Photo by Wayne Lim Ting Ke


School Events

Getting a life — Managing CCAs and GPAs
Naren Gunawardana speaks to students to find out how they have the time to
actively pursue their CCAs

A
s the night sky began to swallow
the sun this Tuesday evening, a
group of approximately 50 boys
and girls huddled together, warming up
their muscles while engaging in friendly
banter.

It seemed as though a bunch of friends
had come for an evening walk. This
bunch of seemingly care-free friends split
up into smaller groups and embarked on
their lung-busting, muscle ripping circuit-
trainings.

Students are known to complain about
the ‘rat-race’ culture in SMU which gives
them very little time to engage them-
selves in non- academic pursuits.

“We have no life!” is a top contender for
the most overheard statement in the
library. Deadlines, which are perceived
in the very literal sense of the word, are
the root cause of many red-eyed students
drowning in coffee. Therefore, we can
safely assume that every waking second
of an SMU student’s life is spent buried
under heaps of academic literature.

But what about those students who ac-
tively participate in CCAs? How is it that
they find the time to participate in these?

Liu Jianrong, Captain of the SMU Drag-
onboat team and second-year economics
student, insists that the key to a perfect
equilibrium between academics and
CCAs is “time management”. Despite
training for up to 12 hours a week, he is
able to find time to do his work. He does
so by working according to a strict sched-
ule and with the support of his friends.

“Even though the training is tough and
time consuming, everyone should try
this sport. It has taught me the valuable
lesson of time management as well,” said

School Events
the modest Captain. Many of the other the time to pursue them. “If you love unsuitable nature of this club, rather than
members share this sentiment. what you’re doing, it’s pretty easy to find lack of time on the part of the students,
ways to accommodate everything you was the main reason for the small mem-
Kimberly Wee Wei-ling, a second-year ac- have to do! The heart-pumping, inspira- ber-base. “There are fewer people because
countancy student added that the family tional beats and the people behind them it’s not suitable for a business school. My
atmosphere within the team ensures a ensure that there’s never a dull moment,” special interest in astronomy motivated
great deal of team bonding. said Jessica, on her way to Samba Masala me to stay in the club for two years, but
practice. She also claimed that “one learns now it’s unlikely that we can continue,”
“We spend a lot of time with each other, to fight the urge to procrastinate” simply he stated quite dishearteningly.
even studying and having meals to- because there is no time to do so. The
gether,” said Kimberly, exhausted after popularity and excitement generally as- This is a good time to reflect on how far
training. The passion for achievement sociated with larger CCAs such as Samba we’ve come and also to prepare for the
and unfailing support from their peers Masala is one of the reasons why they at- arduous conclusion to yet another term.
motivates them to find that 25th hour in tract and retain such a large member base. As we struggle to meet our deadlines and
the day. contemplate on how the others seem
However, not all CCAs succeed in doing to have an eighth day in their week to
‘Love’ is a highly subjective topic, to say so. In fact, the smaller the group, the pursue their CCAs, we tend to overlook
the least. Some think it is what makes the greater is the sense of ownership and be- the basic principle of making every hour
world go round, while others compare it longing inculcated among the members. count, rather than counting every hour.
to the flu and other similar pandemics.
An SMU Astronomy Club (who wishes So stop being a mere onlooker standing
Jessica Joyce Lee Juan, a first-year Eco- to remain anonymous) revealed that the behind the glass windows of the library.
nomics student who is in no less than six dedicated group of six members were con- Step out and join in. Quickly though.
CCAs, cited love as her secret for making sidering closing shop. He stated that the After all, time is of the essence.

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Personal Orientation Profile (POP7). Michael Ng and Angela Anthony share their experiences.

“Not only did I discover Michael Ng
Having taken other tests such as MAPP and
The report shows the scores into ‘inher-
ent traits’ as well as trainable skills. Steven
some strengths that I never DISC as well, I knew that it was important showed a matrix of high and low scores. Of
to respond quickly without too much think- course people with good traits and do not
had the confidence to put ing. It also helped that I was not applying need much training are excellent for the
on my resume, I also had for a job, not under any pressure to reply the Financial Consultant role. Candidates with
questions “correctly”, and messing up the the right skills but not the right inherent
a pretty good idea where data. traits are fine but they require more training
and what I need to do to and coaching. Prudential believes in selecting
A few weeks later, we dropped by Pruden- people with the right attitude, but lacking in
plan my career path.” tial’s office to get our reports explained. skills. This will help the individual to achieve
better results in the long run.
The first thing that I saw on the report is a
graphic of a ‘green’ traffic light a sign that I The things I picked up after Steven had
was suitable for a sales career! This was rather explained the scores was that I had the traits
surprising, given that I had never really liked for not just a sales career but also that of a
sales. journalist as well. Scores showed that I am
able to self manage my results, prefer an
We were given a background presentation unstructured management style, and that I
about POP7 by Steven Lau, it is here that I am highly investigative. Too investigative for
began to find out a lot more about Pruden- a sales career might mean the would likely
tial’s hiring policies, and how serious they are bore the customer with technical details of
in providing opportunities for their Financial the product, but not sell the product.
Consultants to build their careers.
My resistance towards sales showed up
Steven showed us the equation: Talent x in the extremely low score in ‘openness to
Habit x Opportunity. ‘Talent’ encompasses prospecting for sales through social contacts’.
the inherent and trainable parts of a person, I had always strived to keep professional
‘Habit’ refers to the attitude and effort one and personal matters separate, with neither
puts, and most importantly ‘Opportunity’ is crossing paths. Although reports showed I
providing the right career and work experi- have great potential for a sales career, it also
ence to the employee. The whole equation underpinned my resistance towards prospect-
then drives ‘Performance’. It is refreshing to ing for sales might not work out well. More
know that Prudential does not see its people importantly, the report provided areas that I
as resources, but as customers. A true service could work on, the training I require in order
attitude pervades from the management level to succeed in sales, and how management
all the way to the most junior staff in the could communicate with me.
hierarchy.
Candidates are also given reports on their
Going into the report, Steven explained that strong points, and how they could improve
for POP7, it is not just about the highs and themselves in other areas as well. This proved
lows of each individual score, but the correla- to be of great use to me. Not only did I
tion of multiple indices and what they mean discover some strengths that I never had the
for the individual. For example, a person confidence to put on my resume, I also had a
may warm up to strangers quickly but if he pretty good idea where and what I need to do
is extremely driven by results and does not to plan my career path
listen well, he ends up being pushy.


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“I felt I understood more about myself and my ability to
work in a competitive sales environment. It was definitely
a good thing and it made me rethink what I could
consider doing in future.”

Anthony Angela He assured us that the ‘Attitudes’ scores
The experience was much like doing a survey (like my Listening Style) can improve with
with the ultimate objective of discovering experience and coaching. He also provided
whether I am suitable for a competitive sales many examples and was thorough in his Register for Prudential’s Career Semi-
career. explanation of the different measurements nar and try out the profiling tool for
used in POP7. yourself!
Before I did the POP7 test, I had a lot of
skepticism since most of the personality tests After listening to his explanation, I felt I Here are the dates for Year 2010:
I’ve taken are usually subjective since some of understood more about myself and my ability 9 March (Tuesday)
the attributes are based on situational forces. to work in a competitive sales environment. 31 March (Wednesday)
As I did the test, I realised that the questions It was definitely a good thing and it made 20 April (Tuesday)
were a lot more specific than I had initially me rethink what I could consider doing in 19 May (Wednesday)
thought. I was actually looking forward to future. 23 June (Wednesday)
the results. 20 July (Tuesday)
It also provided me with insights on my ‘peo- 24 August (Tuesday)
My initial reaction upon getting the report ple’ and ‘investigative skills’ which confirmed 15 September(Wednesday)
was “How did it find out so much about my beliefs in what professions I should 19 October (Tuesday)
me?” The summary of scores and cautions work towards and how I would perform in a 11 November (Thursday)
provided a good overview of my potential. I working environment. Lastly, after Steven’s 15 December(Wednesday)
was surprised that I am considered ‘highly explanation of my ’Attitudes’ scores, I realised
enterprising’ (according to my results) since I what I should focus on changing and what I Venue:
have always wanted to work for others rather should enhance. PruHall, Prudential@Scotts
than for myself. 51 Scotts Road #01-02
Looking at my future, I feel like I have (next to Newton MRT Station)
Apart from that, other things like a high ‘in- more confidence in myself to take a job in a
dependence score’ served to confirm what I competitive industry. The explanations from Time:
know about myself. However, I was shocked Prudential’s friendly and proficient staff 6pm - 7pm: Registration & Refreshments
that I scored really low for ‘Listening Style’: I only added to my confidence and made me 7pm - 9pm: Seminar
knew I was not a good listener but I did not believe that I could reach my potential. Now
know I was that bad! It was certainly a wake- a sales career does not look as scary as I once Send an email to ad.recruitment@pru-
up call for me. thought. dential.com.sg with the following details
and we’ll contact you shortly!
The staff at Prudential were really helpful.
For starters, Steven Lau, from the Acad- <Name> <Contact No.> <Email> <Citi-
emy of Competence & Excellence zenship> <Course of study><Preferred
department,explained that POP7 is a date of seminar>
psychometric assessment for identifying top
performers for competitive sales jobs.


The Blue and Gold Issue 9

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The Blue and Gold Issue 9