What is Entrepreneurship? (Including advise from Streve Jobs)

Only a few colleges in Malaysia offer the degree in Entrepreneurship. So, what is entrepreneurship? Here are a few videos that could help you get a better understanding:

A Career Round the World – Hospitality Management

Hospitality Management encompasses the vibrant and varied worlds of hotel, restaurant and resort management, leisure management and more. As the hotel and hospitality industry moves increasingly from a skills-based to a knowledge-based industry, it has become critical to produce graduates to be fully attuned to the culture, academic, service, innovative and competitive aspects of the sector.

The hospitality industry is an ideal career pathway for students who:

• Are people friendly
• Are dynamic
• Are critical thinkers
• Are creative
• Are innovative
• Are risk-takers
• Relish a challenging & exciting lifestyle
• Love to help people
• Explore different cultures
• Provide solutions
• Love to organize events
• Possess an international outlook.

One has to like working with people and strive to meet the customer’s expectation. Dealing with people means that one has to be flexible in solving problems. Negotiation, communications and influencing skills are needed for one to do well in hospitality career. Professionals not only have ample job opportunities in Malaysia but worldwide!

Hotels form part of the tourism industry. As the number of tourists grows, more hotels are mushrooming all over the world. The hotel business can be broadly divided into three areas:

1. Provision of rooms for visitors
2. Provision of food and beverage (F&B)
3. Administration

Nature of Work
The nature of work in hospitality career varies from one position to the other. Some positions may have to work longer hours than the other. Some of the hotel related nature of work is described below.

Hotel General Manager
• Responsible for the entire operations a large hotel.
• Ensure that the hotel is run efficiently and make profit according to the expectations of the stakeholders.
• Looks into the sales, marketing and financial aspects of the hotel

Resident Manager
• Stay in the hotel and are on call all the time in the event of emergency.
• Look into the detailed day-to-day operational aspects of the hotel and reports to the General Manager.
• A team of hotel staff usually report to the Resident Manager.

Guest Relations Officer (Concierge)
• The officer will check in hotel guests and confirm hotel bookings
• Ensure that the guests’ luggage are safely transferred to the rooms and the guests’ incoming messages or faxes are given to the guest concerned or even recommend places of interest to guests.

Front Office Manager
• Manage the Cashier, Receptionist, and Reservation Officer.
• Ensure that services rendered are up to standard as well as provide customer service training to staff.
• Look into the operational aspects of accounting, room reservations, money changing, luggage, mail, and others to ensure that guests are satisfied.

Food and Beverage (F&B) Manager
• Overseeing the operations of the hotel’s different restaurants, lounges and banquet facilities
• Besides coordinating activities among various departments, such as kitchen, dining room, and banquet operations, F&B managers ensure that customers are satisfied with their dining experience.
• Oversee the inventory and ordering of food, equipment, and supplies and arrange for the routine maintenance and upkeep of the restaurant.
• Generally responsible for all of the administrative, financial and human-resource functions

Restaurant Manager
• Oversee all aspects of the operations from the quality of the food to the quality of the personnel.
• Ensure that food prepared hygienically, presentable and creatively.
• Manage the budget and negotiate with suppliers.
• Formulate creative strategies for advertising and promotions to increase sales.
• Recruit, train and motivate staff.

Housekeeper Executive/Floor Supervisor
• Ensure good maintenance of all the rooms, toilets, swimming pools, gymnasium, meeting rooms, etc.
• Arrange the cleaning scheduling as well as the supervision of the work done by the housekeepers Ascertain standard supplies for rooms are maintained, informs maintenance to look into repairs, and special instructions for VIPs are carried out.

Career opportunities
The boom in tourism has created a demand for hospitality professionals world wide. In addition, hospitality graduates are highly sought after outside of the industry because of the service oriented training that they receive. This makes the graduates highly adept to the needs of customers.

Types of industry

• Resorts
• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Exclusive clubs
• Catering
• Cruise liners
• Airlines
• Conventions
• Events
• Health & fitness
• Banks
• Leisure such as theme parks
• Gaming & casinos
• Spas
• Education

Types of executive or managerial positions

• PR/communications
• Marketing
• Restaurant
• Guest relations
• Corporate events planner
• Advertising & sales
• Kitchen
• Food & Beverage
• Caterer
• Customer Service
• Cost Control
• Conventions/Conference/Event Planner
• Theme Park Operations
• Customer Loyalty Programme
• Front Office
• Business Development
• Hotel owner

The Guardian UK University guide and ranking for 2012

The latest Guardian University Guide tables show that Cambridge University has taken the top spot, breaking its arch-rival Oxford’s six-year stint as the UK’s leading institution.

Oxford has come second and St Andrews third, while the London School
of Economics has climbed four places from last year to take fourth place. University College London, Warwick, Lancaster, Durham, Loughborough and Imperial College make up the top 10.

The tables are based on data for full-time undergraduates at UK universities.

Universities with low rankings are almost as likely to be intending to charge maximum tuition fees of £9,000 in 2012 as those with high rankings, our analysis suggests.

London Metropolitan University, which comes bottom of the Guardian tables, intends to charge between £4,500 and £9,000 for its degrees from autumn 2012. Salford, Liverpool John Moores, Manchester Metropolitan and the University of East London – all of which rank in the bottom 20 of the Guardian tables – want to charge £9,000 for at least some of their courses.

From autumn 2012, universities in England will be allowed to charge up to £9,000 a year for undergraduate degrees. The government’s access watchdog, the Office for Fair Access, is looking at the fees each university in England wants to charge and will announce in July whether it approves of institutions’ plans.

The tables were compiled by independent consultancy firm Intelligent Metrix. It’s based originally on information collected by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and the National Student Survey, published by Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce).

We’ve also mashed in some data of our own, including the full planned tuition fees, drop-out rates and student numbers.

Here are some of the key numbers:

• 38 of the universities in the top 60 will charge the full £9,000 tuition fee in 2012 – and 18 of those in the bottom 60
• The universities in the top 20 are bigger than those in the bottom 20 – with an average of 8,927 undergraduates, compared to 6,015
• The student staff ratio of the universities in the top 20 is less than that in the bottom 20 – 14.2 students to every tutor, compared to 21.54

 

University guide 2012

2012 Rank	2011	Institution	Ave Teac Score	Exp. per student / 10	Student: staff ratio	Uni group	2012 max tuition fee
SOURCE: INTELLIGENT METRIX, HESA
1	2	Cambridge	100.0	9.76	11.7	Russell	9,000
2	1	Oxford	97.9	10	10.8	Russell	9,000
3	4	St Andrews	85.3	7.25	13.3	1994 Group
4	8	London School of Economics	84.7	8.45	11.8	Russell
5	5	UCL	82.5	8.43	9.7	Russell	9,000
6	3	Warwick	81.8	8.56	14.1	Russell	9,000
7	6	Lancaster	79.1	7.49	13.8	1994 Group	9,000
8	17	Durham	77.2	6.14	15.3	1994 Group	9,000
9	9	Loughborough	75.5	5.8	17.1	1994 Group	9,000
10	7	Imperial College	74.1	8.54	10.9	Russell	9,000
11	14	Exeter	73.8	4.97	20.0	1994 Group	9,000
11	15	Sussex	73.8	4.64	16.1	1994 Group	9,000
13	11	SOAS	73.7	7.02	11.1	1994 Group	9,000
14	13	Bath	73.6	5.33	16.1	1994 Group	9,000
15	9	York	72.7	6.63	14.9	1994 Group
16	15	Edinburgh	70.6	8.64	14.4	Russell
17	12	Leicester	70.4	6.78	14.7	1994 Group	9,000
18	19	UEA	69.8	7.12	14.9	1994 Group	9,000
19	20	Surrey	69.5	7.15	19.0	1994 Group	9,000
19	21	Nottingham	69.5	6.39	14.2	Russell	9,000
21	23	Glasgow	69.2	6.47	14.5	Russell
22	24	City	68.8	7.53	17.6		9,000
23	27	Kent	68.3	6.31	14.4		9,000
24	30	Birmingham	68.1	7.86	15.4	Russell	9,000
25	33	Bristol	67.9	6.32	13.5	Russell	9,000
26	22	Dundee	67.8	6	14.3
27	32	Heriot-Watt	67.7	7.31	19.1
28	18	Southampton	67.1	6.24	13.6	Russell	9,000
29	25	Strathclyde	66.9	6.16	18.0
30	25	King’s College London	66.6	6.35	12.0	Russell	9,000
31	37	Newcastle	66.3	5.55	15.3	Russell	9,000
32	45	Reading	65.4	5.87	15.5	1994 Group	9,000
33	31	Sheffield	64.5	4.83	14.9	Russell	9,000
34	36	Aston	64.2	5.9	17.1		9,000
35	41	Royal Holloway	63.7	4.83	15.7	1994 Group	9,000
36	46	Queen Mary	63.6	6.34	13.6	1994 Group	9,000
37	35	Leeds	63.0	6.28	14.9	Russell	9,000
38	27	Robert Gordon	62.6	4.23	19.0
39	43	Essex	61.5	6.22	15.6	1994 Group	9,000
39	46	Cardiff	61.5	5.96	15.0	Russell
41	51	Manchester	61.4	7.86	15.4	Russell	9,000
42	38	Bournemouth	60.8	6.94	23.6	University Alliance	9,000
42	48	Oxford Brookes	60.8	4.94	18.1	University Alliance	9,000
44	27	Stirling	60.7	4.25	19.3
45	33	Aberdeen	60.3	5.22	15.8
46	40	UC Falmouth	60.2	5.95	23.5	Ukadia/ Guild HE	9,000
47	49	Plymouth	60.1	7.21	16.5	University Alliance	9,000
48	52	Sunderland	59.7	6.7	15.8	Million +	8,500
49	39	Liverpool	59.3	6.66	13.2	Russell	9,000
50	49	Aberystwyth	58.8	4.77	18.1	University Alliance	9,000
50	56	Queen’s, Belfast	58.8	5.6	14.8	Russell
52	55	Edinburgh Napier	58.5	3.58	21.6	Million +
53	54	Huddersfield	58.0	4.45	18.4	University Alliance	7,950
54	44	Keele	57.3	4.4	14.5		9,000
55	67	Northumbria	56.9	4.51	20.3	University Alliance	8,500
56	63	Queen Margaret	56.5	2.59	21.7
57	72	Lincoln	56.3	3.43	19.7	University Alliance	9,000
58	42	Chichester	56.2	3.34	16.6		8,500
59	62	UWE Bristol	55.5	3.82	20.7	University Alliance
60	79	Teesside	55.2	5.2	19.5	University Alliance	8,500
61	64	Gloucestershire	55.1	5.3	20.6	Million +	8,250
62	58	Goldsmiths	54.9	3.8	17.6	1994 Group	9,000
63	87	Coventry	54.5	3.33	15.7	Million +	9,000
63	94	Northampton	54.5	5.22	22.9	Million +
65	71	Sheffield Hallam	54.2	4.43	19.8	University Alliance	8,500
65	67	Bath Spa	54.2	4.07	21.1	Million +	9,000
67	53	Nottingham Trent	53.9	4.53	19.7	University Alliance
68	76	Glamorgan	53.7	4.6	20.2	University Alliance
69	96	Winchester	53.6	2.52	17.7	Guild HE	8,500
70	69	Central Lancashire	53.4	5.89	18.4	Million +	9,000
71	57	UWIC	53.1	4.1	20.7	University Alliance
72	60	Hertfordshire	52.9	4	18.5	University Alliance	8,500
73	78	Brighton	52.8	4.55	18.8		9,000
74	79	Glasgow Caledonian	52.5	3.85	20.9	University Alliance
75	112	Middlesex	52.2	7.23	21.0	Million +	9,000
75	59	Hull	52.2	4.55	20.1		9,000
77	69	Staffordshire	51.9	5.66	21.7	Million +
78	88	Edge Hill	50.9	3.26	18.5		9,000
79	65	Bangor	50.8	5.35	20.7
80	79	Chester	50.5	3.29	17.2		9,000
81	77	Thames Valley	50.2	7.74		Million +
82	86	St Mary’s UC, Twickenham	50.1	2.29	22.1	Guild HE	8,000
82	75	Brunel	50.1	4.32	20.2
84	110	Leeds Trinity University College	50.0	2.08	22.8	Guild HE	8,000
85	85	Portsmouth	49.9	4.94	20.5	University Alliance	8,500
86	74	Bradford	49.4	5.16	17.5	University Alliance	9,000
87	105	Westminster	49.0	3.99	17.1		9,000
88	79	Ulster	48.9	4.07	17.0
89	83	Cumbria	48.7	5.6	15.3	Guild HE	8,400
90	66	Birmingham City	48.4	5.34	20.9	Million +
91	84	Anglia Ruskin	47.8	7.7	22.7	Million +	8,300
92	98	Kingston	47.5	4.45	19.9	Million +	9,000
93	73	De Montfort	47.3	3.91	17.5	University Alliance	9,000
94	91	Derby	47.1	4.05	20.5	Million +	7,995
94	93	Swansea	47.1	3.93	16.5

A career in Media Planning

The article below is taken from the Star published on Sunday January 1, 2012. Those interested in pursuing a career in media planning can consider studying a diploma or degree in advertising or mass communication. Read below for a good insight into this career. You may email me at eduspiral@gmail.com should you have any questions.

The business of commercials

By KANG SOON CHEN
educate@thestar.com.my

In advertising, every message counts, and media planners are responsible for coming up with the best way for it to reach the consumer.

IT IS never incidental that newspaper pages on Thursdays and Fridays are splattered with advertisements from hypermarket stores.

Media planners see to it that way so as to maximise returns from the advertising dollars because most households would be doing their grocery shopping during the weekend.

Foong says the best person for the job has to be meticulous, loves challenges and able to adapt quickly.

Senior media planner Foong Zaai Yee says that strategic media planning involves the clever placement of advertisements — in which newspaper or magazine, how big or small it should be, in black and white or colour, and even which page it should appear on.

In the meantime, a similar conundrum awaits the media planners when deliberating about other media such as billboards, television, radio and the Internet.

“Media planning is not just about purchasing ‘spots’ (air time or print space) from media owners and inserting advertisements.

“With so many advertisements clamouring for the audience’s attention, we have to constantly think, think and think of ideas to stand out from the clutter,” says Foong.

To put it another way, media planners never really buy media but instead are buying a piece of the audience’s attention.

However, the evolving nature of technology makes this pursuit all the more challenging and interesting.

Furthermore, the emergence of social media has allowed advertisers and consumers to interact on the same platform.

Before the Internet, advertising used to be a one-way conversation from the advertiser to consumer. With Twitter and Facebook, it is more important than ever for advertisers to interact, engage and talk “with” consumers instead of “at” them.

Foong points out that the younger generation shows a changing media consumption pattern as less and less of them are inclined to spend time on traditional media like newspapers and television.

“Even if they do watch television, the younger generation are more likely to check the updates on their smartphones and tablets during commercial breaks, unlike before when they would reach for the remote to switch channels,” says Foong.

“So, the media planners would have to consider whether it is cost-effective to spend the same budget on traditional media.

“At the same time, media planners also play a role to educate their clients about these emerging trends,” she adds.

My job involves …

… coming up with media solutions and strategies to help my clients communicate their advertising messages to consumers. The creative agencies are the ones generating messaging ideas and storylines, while media planners provide recommendations on ways to convey the storylines to the consumers.

When a client wants to advertise a product with say, a RM1mil budget, media planners advise the client on how to spend the RM1mil in order to obtain the highest advertising return on investment.

Media planners do not simply pitch solutions to the clients; we have to support our proposals with facts and numbers or with successful case studies.

Working closely with the research department within media agencies, media planners study the target audience — their media consumption patterns, values, and the kind of lifestyles they aspire to.

Besides buying spots for advertisements and commercials, media planners devise many other plans to promote the product such as through television sponsorship or branded content programmes.

Nevertheless, the job specifications of a media planner differ according to the structures within each media agency. In bigger organisations, there are media planners, media buyers and media implementers working in the same team.

In these cases, the job scopes will be fragmented with the media planner solely in charge of coming up with proposals while the media implementers will be responsible for executing the plans.

Meanwhile, media buyers negotiate and purchase media space on behalf of the clients.

My morning starts with …

… checking e-mails and looking into works-in-progress.

As it is a fast-paced industry, you need to be in tip-top condition and clear your workload in a timely manner.

Ideally, it is a good practice to browse through the newspapers early in the morning to understand the market scenario, but sometimes I just do not have enough time to do that!

To qualify, you need …

… an academic background in advertising, which is useful, but not essential. There are people from all sorts of backgrounds from banking to geology working in the media planning industry and excelling in it.

Essentially, we are all consumers, and media planners have to be smart in using their common sense to gauge the behaviours and desires of the consumers at large.

Of course, those who have advertising background may find it easier to adapt but again, this does not necessarily mean that those without it cannot pick up fast.

The best person for the job …

… is someone who is very meticulous, because missing or adding a single digit in the client’s budget would be disastrous.

Also, media planners need to love challenges and must be open-minded in embracing changes. Technology is constantly evolving; even the business objectives of clients and consumer behaviours are changing from time to time.

Media planners need to adapt to that and be able to offer new solutions for clients. Working in the media industry involves long hours. You need to have immense passion for the job and be able to multi-task.

Furthermore, being in the servicing line requires media planners to be very patient with request from clients. It is very important to build relationships with the clients and make them see you as a business partner rather than just their media agency.

I love my job because …

… it is very dynamic and never repetitive. The best thing about my job is the exposure I gain from dealing with people from different backgrounds.

I would think that my job comes with a power to use media to change consumer behaviour; come to think of it, media planners have a hand in changing the people’s perception and behaviours.

It is also very satisfying to witness consumers participating in the media campaigns that I plan.

What I dislike most …

… are unreasonable deadlines and requests given by clients.

To stay ahead of the competitors, clients constantly change their marketing strategies. When that happens, it affects the overall media plan as well.

Imagine having all the hard work you put in the plan all end up in vain and you have to quickly come up with new strategies at the last minute to adapt to the new marketing strategy.

For instance, when clients are unable to meet their marketing objective (i.e. sales target), we will have to scrap the media plan, revise all the bookings and come up with a new plan.

Whenever that occurs, I will put myself in my clients’ shoes and remind myself that I work as their business partner.

I have to think from their perspective — if making last-minute changes will help to turn the tide for my client’s business, then I would be more than happy to do that.

Prospects for the future …

… are good. If they are willing to work hard, media planners can progress very fast in their careers as promotions are based on performance and not seniority.

Those who have proven that they are capable of handling bigger portfolios will acquire more exposure in three or four years compared to others who have worked longer.

Likewise, the demand for media agencies is increasing as the business industry is developing to be more complicated and competitive.

Media agencies are not just selling media plans anymore — many have now expanded their departments with a business unit to offer clients with business and marketing solutions.

What to bring for your PLKN?

Well, the first batch of 2012 will be going out on January 1 so you must all be worried. I have compiled a list of stuff that you can bring for your PLKN.

Keep yourselves safe and make friends with the right people. Do not simple trust anyone, be wise. Keep your valuables safe and do not bring anything expensive with you.

Luggage.
Bring the biggest luggage you have and with a lock. You can keep your things in there as extra space and you can lock your important items in your luggage like your money and phone.

A backpack.
Bring a school backpack so you can carry your items around easily.

Hair Shampoo, Hair Conditioner & Shower Gel
You will need to keep yourself clean and with all the exercise and hot weather, you will be taking lots of showers! Bring the largest bottle with refills. Girls, you will not have time to treat your hair so bring along a good hair conditioner.

Facial Cleanser.
Bring a few bottles so that you can keep your face pretty or handsome. Remember you will be in the jungle and will be getting quite dirty.

Toothbrush & Toothpaste.

What can I say? Unless you want to have a smelly mouth by not brushing for 3 months. Keep your teeth bright, white and shiny!

 

Hair Combs. 

Girls should bring a few combs just in case you lose them. And you can keep one with you all the time when you are moving around. For guys, I guess you can’t comb much.

Hair Bands. 

Remember bring extra hair bands! They get lost easily and bring those you can put your hair into a bun. You will need to bun your hair when you are wearing full loreng to kawad.

Bath Towels. 

Although a towel is supplied, it is better to bring 2 extra ones so that you don’t have to keep on washing. You can also use the extra one while waiting for the other to dry.

Hankerchieves or Small Towels.

You will sweating a lot or maybe crying? So, you will need them to wipe them off. They can be used to keep the sun out as well.

Nail Clippers without the knife.

You must cut your nails every week so bring at least two just in case you lose one. Don’t bring those with a knife in them as it is not allowed in the camp. The officers will check your luggage and confiscate them.

Black Socks. 

They will supply you 2 pairs of white socks(for PT shoes), 2 pairs of black socks(for Kelas shoes) & 2 pairs of grey socks (for spiked boots). But i suggest u to bring 2 or more extra black socks because you’ll need it well when your socks haven’t dried yet. Socks get smelly really fast and you don’t have time to wash all the time. Black socks can replace white socks when you wear it for PT shoes. They won’t check it if you didn’t wear their socks. But you can’t skip for wearing grey socks for spiked boots.

Mopiko. 

You are in a jungle and there will be lots and lots of mosquitoes and insects. Bring Mopiko unless you don’t plan on sleeping.

Mosquito Repellent & Insects Repellent. 

You need it well too! To prevent any mosquitoes bite, must bring it! It has been suggested to use this product called “NOBITE lotion”. This repellent that can be last long for 6-8 hours. Make sure that it is not “sticky” and can be applied to your face. Bring at least 2 bottles of mosquito repellant.

Sunblock. 

You will have to bring sunblock as you will be marching under the hot sun for 3 months. Bring those with UV block.

Buy the LARGE one. 1 bottle is enough.

SPF 130!!!! Apply this on hands & neck.

Buy SPF 50!!!

contains UV moisture milk.

is better to apply this on face!

 Contact lens. *This is only for those who wearing spectacles only!*

Contact Lens case, Lens solution, eye drops, & extra contact lens!

Better buy them because is not that convenient to wear specs for some water activities & kawad. Get the one month or daily disposable ones. Bring extra contact lens should they get lost or spoilt!

Cheap Slippers.

Buy the cheaper version of CROCS from the pasar malam. You can use them for the water activities and prevent your feet from mosquito bites. You can use them when going to the toilet. Don’t buy real crocs as they might get spoilt or stolen.

T-shirts.

You will need 2-3 t-shirts for sleeping or wearing in the dorm. When you are outside the dorm you must wear their uniform so you don’t need to bring too many.

Long/Short pants.

Skirts are not allowed in camps so don’t bring them. Bring a pair of long work out pants to keep out the mosquitoes. As the weather is hot, short pants are good. Don’t bring too many as you cannot wear them outside the dorm. Only uniforms allowed outside of dorm.

Sweater.

You must bring just in case you get sick or the night gets cold.

Clothes Hangers.

Bring lots of clothes hangers as they are not supplied. You will need to use them to hang your clothes as well as to dry them after washing.

Clothes Pegs.

Bring one pack so that you can keep your clothes or undergarments from flying off into the jungle. write your name on it so that other people will not take them. You can also identify your own uniform easily when you go collect your clothes as everyone else will have the same uniforms.

Buy those with SHARP COLOURS.

Pail.

You will need the pail to wash your clothes. Bring it if you do no need to take a flight. Those who have to take a flight, you can just buy it at the canteen.

Bring a Cheap Handphone with a Camera.

You can use it for entertainment. Don’t bring an expensive phone as it is not safe.

Cotton swabs

You need to clean your ears or else you won’t be able to hear after 3 months.

Plaster.

Just bring them!

Acne Pimples Cream.

Useful for those with pimples or you may actually get them during your NS!

Pen & Notebooks.

Bring your pen wherever you go so that you can write notes.

Yoko-Yoko.

All the marching and exercise may give you muscle aches.

Tissue Paper.

Bring one whole pack that contains 24 small packs inside.

Small Fan.

Useful when you are in a hot stuffy hall.

Alarm Clock.

Bring an alarm clock with batteries to wake you up for the morning exercise!

Pads. *Only for GIRLS !!!*

Well, what can I say….

Baju Tradisional.

Bring it or you may have to borrow from your friends. You can use it for the Pertandingan Lagu Patriotik for extra marks.

Small Umbrella.

Useful when you need to move around during rainy days.

Money.

Bring some money especially lots of coins to use for the pay phone to call  your darlings…..

Washing Powder

Buy the powder detergent as it is easier to use and get one with a spoon.

Brush.

To clean your shoes or wash your clothes.

Oreo/ Tiger biscuit

When you get hungry at night or if you miss a meal.

Mug

Bring one that can keep hot water so that you can make your hot drinks or maggie mee. Bring your 3-in-1 coffee or Milo should you not like the taste of their Milo or coffee.

Water Bottle

Bring 1 bottle is enough.

Thread & Needles

Useful if your button falls off. Bring black & white thread.

Rubber bands

Useful to tie up your unfinished biscuits.

Recycle Bag

Useful for taking your stuff back home.

Underwear/Panties/Bras

Bring lots of underwear as it may rain for a few days and your clothes won’t dry.

Torchlight

You need it when you are the Pengawal Malam or going into jungle for Wirajaya activities.

Marker Pen

Bring the permanent market so that you can mark your shirts. Put it in your pocket as the jurulatih will confiscate on the first day when they search your luggage.

Kool Fever Patch or Panadol or Paracetamol

Bring them just in case you fall sick. Ofcourse please see the camp medic too. If you feel something really wrong you should call your camp commandant or your parents.

Chrysanthemum Tea

Easy to make by just pouring hot water. Will remind you of home and keep you cool.

Strepsils

When you get sore throat, very useful.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Remember not to bring anything sharp or it will be confiscated.

THINGS that will be provided for you by the camp:

☞ 2 pairs of Baju Celoreng

☞ 2 pairs of Seluar Celoreng

☞ 2 pairs of inner Loreng

☞ 2 pairs of Baju Kelas

☞ 2 pairs of Seluar Kelas

☞ 2 pairs of Baju PT

☞ 2 pairs of Seluar PT

☞ 2 pairs of white socks

☞ 2 pairs of black socks

☞ 2 pairs of grey socks

☞ 1 kelas belt

☞ 1 Loreng belt

☞ 1 baseball cap

☞ 1 beret

☞ 1 pair of spike boot

☞ 1 pair of kelas shoes

☞ 1 pair of PT shoes

☞ 1 towel

☞ 1 brush (for kiwi spike boot)

☞ 1 kiwi

* U can take everything back home! Except for the Baju Loreng & Seluar Loreng…

* Dun throw away the SHOE BOXES they give as you can use them to keep stuff.

———————————————————————————————————————

TIMETABLE when you’re in camp:

5.30 – Bangun
6.00 – Muslim di surau (subuh)
*(non muslim 6.15 padang kawad)
6.30 – Beratur di padang kawad
7.30 – Breakfast
8.15 – Beratur di Dewan makan (class CB)
10.30 – Rehat (minum pagi)
11.00 – Class CB
12.30 – Makan tengahari
2.15 – Beratur di dewan makan (class CB)
4.30 – Minum Petang
5.30 – Riadah
6.30 – Makan Malam
7.15 – Muslim di surau (mahgrib)
*(non muslim 8.45 dewan makan)
9.00 – Beratur di dewan makan (Roll Call)
10.30 – Supper
11.00 – Tidur….

* Sunday: Religious activities like going to church or temple. Your parents may visit as well.

* Wednesday & Saturday: Community Service.

Good luck to all of you!

A look at Graphic Design as a career

An interesting article in the Star newspaper today on Graphic Design.

Creative impressions

By AMINUDDIN MOHSIN
educate@thestar.com.my

Besides the ability to draw, a graphic designer needs to have time management, curiosity, and above all, passion.

A PASSION for art, photography and creative visualisation led graphic designer Musaddique Yahya down a natural path to his current industry, he says.

However, life as a graphic designer is not always a walk in the park. Besides gruelling deadlines, one has to deal with rejection, unrealistic expectations, and the stress of constantly churning out new ideas.

But Musaddique says it is all worth it if one has passion for the craft.

Musaddique busy visualising concepts at his desk.

“What began with passion is kept alive by passion, even with dozens of obstacles and hardships,” explains Musaddique.

“Sometimes when a project comes up, you just have to brace yourself to work around the clock to get it done,” he adds.

He also says that the main draw of the job for him is getting the message across to the audience.

“As a graphics designer, knowing how to use the tools of your trade is a key element. With those tools, you could set a prank, surprise and captivate your audience, no matter who they are,” says Musaddique.

After learning the ropes of in-house design at a hotel in Johor Baru by designing brochures, menus and other related print media, Musadiqque landed himself a job as an in-house graphic designer at TuneTalk.

The job provides new and bigger challenges for Musaddique, but he says he gladly accepts them for the opportunity to express himself through design.

“I love art. I appreciate it in all its forms, be it simple doodles or elaborate graffiti. Art can’t be confined into a single form and can be expressed through any medium,” he says.

A graphic designer should always work on new projects to sharpen skills and keep the interest alive. This is one of Musaddique’s personal side projects, a ‘self portrait’ of himself.

My job involves …

… designing print and web content, which is the cornerstone of any graphic designer’s job responsibility. However, the job scope may branch out to areas such as photography which requires a hefty bit of multi-tasking.

But the biggest part of his job, regardless of what project I am working on, is coming up with ideas.

Churning out lots of ideas consistently — that’s the job. Every time we are given a project, we have to brainstorm and discuss a lot in order to visualise the concepts given to us.

We are expected to have a stream of ideas in order to provide different variations of the concept.

Quite the opposite of a firm-based graphics designer, an in-house graphics designer has to adhere to a company’s templates or branding guidelines and ensure their work reflects the company’s image, he added.

“Of course it’s just as important to be able to come up with creative ways within those guidelines to showcase the brand to the masses.

Sometimes subtlety works. At other times it has to be outrageous. With TuneTalk, one of the key guidelines is red, the colour associated with the brand and its parent company AirAsia.

Musaddique says one should have at least basic drawing skills to be a graphic designer.

My morning starts with …

… checking my e-mail for requests from my supervisors and the company’s other teams.

After that, I check for comments on my previous tasks, or “jobs”, to see if my work got a positive or negative response.

Once a project is handed to me, either verbally or through e-mail, the nature of my job branches away from the usual nine to five.

The pace changes gears pretty fast, because to come up with great creative content can take a lot of time and reworking to eventually get the “right” product.

So once I get a project, my day proceeds to brainstorming sessions with the team and then we’re off to a sketchboard to start doodling our impressions of what people want.

After that, it’s time to build the product, which can be a poster or a billboard, or even an Internet banner according to the specifications everyone agrees on after going through the initial sketches.

To qualify, you need …

The job relies heavily on your creative talent, artisitic sense and work experience, so an SPM qualification will suffice — but that is no reason not to get a degree or diploma in graphic design as it would definitely increase your chances of landing a job.

The Computer Graphics and Design diploma graduate said that during his college days he gave himself a lot of side projects for self-improvement.

I obtained a Diploma in Computer Graphics and Design, and one of the most valuable things you get from a higher education is a more in-depth understanding of the tools a graphic designer uses.

You are also wiser when experimenting with new and old software because you have a strong base, so you familiarise faster.

That said, all graphic design students should dabble with as many kinds of graphic tools as possible and not limit themselves, as your software know-how is a powerful asset in your portfolio.

All budding graphic designers should keep themselves occupied with learning new software and embarking on self-initiated projects.

As a graphic designer, everything you create — be it 3D animation, print work or doodles on a napkin — becomes part of your portfolio.

So if a person is passionate about art and design, then he or she should always be working on his or her art and coming up with new work.

The best person for the job …

That’s a tough question! Since a myriad number of characteristics, skills and talents would be helpful for a potential graphic designer.

But lets start with the most essential skill — the ability to draw. At the very least you must have the most basic drawing skills.

After that comes all the resilience characteristics, patience, perseverence, focus and whatever else that helps a person manage stress and long hours.

A person who is willing to work long hours and accept criticism and rejection is definitely suited to the job. You will notice a lot of your work will be passed back to you to be reworked.

Like it or not, the layman does not see things the same way a creative artist sees things. It’s not really a bad thing actually, because seeing things through the eyes of others often lets you see your flaws.

Sometimes an idea may seem amazing among members of a creative team, but may be too complicated to get the message across to the masses.

Thats the whole point though, to get the message across. You get a graphic designer to create something not for his own pleasure, but for the company’s goals.

That said, you really have to be creative to package ideas through visual art. Thus right after drawing skills, you need creativity, creativity, creativity.

I love my job because…

… it deals with art, my passion. What’s more, I get to see my work published — nothing beats that and it doesn’t even have to be a major piece of art.

An Internet banner, poster, flyer — you name it, it doesn’t matter; as long as I get to share my work with the rest of humanity, I’m happy.

Of course, coming in to work in casual clothes is a super bonus for us creative design guys, since we rarely come into contact with the more serious side of business.

What I dislike most …

Originally, I used to dislike the long hours, but after more than 10 years in this line of work, I’ve gotten used to it.

Now I mostly dislike having my work bounce back at me after working on the whole thing for the thousandth time.

Eventually, I even got used to that, but it remains a thorn in my side when my work gets rejected and I am required to go back to the drawing board.

Prospects for the future …

… are good. There are many different ways for a graphic designer to branch out into similar fields if he or she wants to.

But honestly speaking, working your way upwards is not too bad either. At the very pinnacle of a creative department is the creative or art director, which is a very attainable position with the right amount of experience and a well developed portfolio.

But there are people who like to have their personal freedom as they grow older. Between freelancing and the ability to strike out on your own, graphic designers are spoilt for choice when it comes to “retirement”.

What is Psychology?

Psychology is a study of human behaviour, thoughts, feelings and the human mind. They apply their knowledge to help people function better. They are providers of mental health care in hopspitals, clinics, schools, and in private consultation where their work cover a wide range of activities. Their clients include children, adults, couples, families and community organisations. Pscyhologists can also work in the business sector in human resource management, advertising, management, consultancy, media, marketing, public relations, or training. Social work and education are other options.

Psychologist may gather information about their clients by administrating personality, performance, aptitude and intelligence tests, counseling sessions and through controlled laboratory experiments. There are many specialisations available, of which the following are examples.

Clinical Psychologists are concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of psychological disorders, such as assisting mentally or emotionally disturbed patients adjust to life, helping people to deal with personal crisis, or helping those with physical stress ( chronic pain, alcohol and drug addiction, multiple sclerosis. ). They work mostly in psychiatric clinics and hospitals, rehabilitation and community health centres, research centres, and private clinics.

Experimental or Research Psychologist investigate the sensory, cognitive, emotional and social aspects of human behaviour, and the behavioural processes of animals such as rats, and monkeys, usually in university research or private research centres.

Cognitive Psychologists deal with memory, thinking and perception.

Counselling Pscyhologists help people deal with their personal and relationship problems

Development Psychologists study the development process that takes place throughout the lifespan. It is the study of how people develop intellectually, morally, emotionally and socially.

Educational Psychologists work in schools with students, teachers and parents to resolve students’ learning and behavioural problems. They assist student’s in their choosing their career pathways through counseling, aptitude and guidance tests.

Sports Psychologists provide psychological assistance to sports competitors to enhance their performance and enjoyment.

Industrial Psychologists apply their knowledge to improve productivity and the quality of work life.

Career opportunities occur in these and other specialties in community, government and commercial organisations, and wherever counselling, psychological asessment and treatment are required.

Four students killed in crash

I was working at the education exhibition at Persada Convention Center last weekend. There were many students attending the fair looking for courses and colleges. While at the Seremban education fair, a fellow marketeer told me that 4 students had died while travelling back from the Persada fair. 6 students were travelling back in their MPV had lost control going into a ditch. It is sad to hear that 4 young students from Johor lost their lives after attending the fair. Rest in Peace: Ng Sin Yun, 17, Tey Jia Xin, 17, and Ching Hui Sean, 18.

To all students, please drive safely as it has been raining every day.

The story below from News Straits Times:

Four teenage girls were killed when the multi-purpose vehicle they were traveling in crashed through a roadside barrier and rolled down a 90-metre high hill slope along the Johor Baharu-Mersing Road at Kota Tinggi yesterday.

They have been identified as Ng Sin Yun, 17, of Jalan Kelu Ramu, Kota Kecil; Winnie Ng, 18, of Jalan Moi Hiang, Kota Kecil; Tey Jia Xin, 17, of Kampung Lukut Cina and Ching Hui Sean, 18, of Kota Tinggi town.

Victor Ng Wee Tai, 17, the boy who drove the Toyota Innova, and an unidentified teenage girl were injured in the accident which happened at Km33.7of the road at about 5.30 pm.

Victor Ng was treated at Kota Tinggi Hospital and then transferred to aprivate hospital here while the girl remains at Kota Tinggi Hospital.

The MPV swerved away from the road at a bend and crashed through theroadside barrier, hit a signboard and then rolled down the hillside.  — Bernama

A story from News Straits Times:

AN outing by six friends ended tragically when their vehicle plunged into a ravine, killing four of them.

The MPV in which the six friends were travelling in. The roof was torn open when it plunged into a ravine along Jalan Johor Baru-Mersing. Pic by Ahmad Othman

1 / 1

The 5.30pm incident occurred at Km33.7 of Jalan Johor Baru-Mersing on Saturday.

The six were heading home here after attending an education fair in Johor Baru.

The dead were identified as Ng Sin Yun, 17; Winnie Ng, 18; Tey Jia Xin, 17; and Ching Hui Sean, 18.

They were schoolmates at SMK Bandar, Kota Tinggi, and had recently sat for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia.

The two survivors of the accident were the driver of the MPV, Victor Ng Wee Tai, 17, and another passenger, Chin Shi Xuan, 17.

Ng sustained minor injuries, while Chin, who suffered severe injuries, was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Sultan Ismail Hospital, Johor Baru.

The MPV went out of control at a corner and crashed into a road divider and a signboard, before plunging into the 90m-deep ravine.

The impact of the crash caused the MPV’s roof to be torn away.

Ng Sin Yun, who was seated in the back seat of the vehicle, was flung several metres from the vehicle. He died on the spot.

A friend of the victims, Tee Heng Chong, 17, said he had met them at the education fair which was held at the Persada Johor International Convention Centre, Johor Baru earlier in the day.

“I went back to Kota Tinggi by bus, while they went home in the MPV,” said Tee when met at the mortuary at the Kota Tinggi hospital. Tee was informed of the incident when he arrived home in Kota Tinggi.

“It’s a big shock to me. I have lost four friends.”

Choosing the right course to study

Now that SPM is over, for most of you the next step begins, which is choosing the right course to study. It is a very important decision and needs time and effort to choose the right one. It can be a confusing time but you can take some steps to make a proper and well informed decision. Below are some ideas:

How to choose a career

Choosing the right career is a vital first step for your future. This can be an overwhelming task if you are unprepared. With the wide variety of career choices available to a student, the time after UEC, SPM or STPM can be a confusing one if not guided properly. Preparations should have been made even before this time but fear not it is still not too late if you have not decided on a career path. It is important for you to research carefully the career that you intend to pursue. Below are three simple steps that I will call the GEM method which will help you in your journey.

1. Gather Information.
2. Evaluate the Information.
3. Make a Decision.

1.   Gather Information

A.    Make a list of your interests, likes, strengths, hobbies and talents. Also ask your family members and friends to tell you what you are good at.

Make a simple list of your interests, your hobbies and what you are actually good at. Don’t put down things that you are interested to do but write down things that you know that you are good at. For example, you are good in debates, sports, mathematics, fixing cars, and others. Your interests should correlate with the reality of your talent. For example, if you are interested in becoming an engineer but your results in Mathematics and Physics are consistently low, you may want to reconsider your choice or if you want to be a musician but cannot play any instrument, it would be an unwise move to choose music as your career pathway.

B.    Show your family members and friends the list and ask them whether you are

actually good at the things you have listed.

Have your friends go through the list and give comments on how good you are at your interests, hobbies and talents. Your parents and trusted friends may give you a different perspective on what you are good at. This is valuable insight that will help you in your decision-making.

C.    Talk to your parents, uncles, aunts, cousins and older siblings

Your parents and older siblings may have good insights into your abilities and offer good suggestions. Ask them what talents they think you have and maybe what career options would be good for you.

 D.    Talk to your career guidance counsellor at school.

Your guidance counsellor may have materials and tests that will guide you in choosing a career. Their advice may be useful in finding out the job prospects of a certain career.

E.    Talk to professionals in you field of interest.

Talk to professionals in the fields that you are interested in to find out what they do. Ask them what they do in their jobs, what they like about it, what are its future prospects, what type of talents are required for the work, and other relevant questions. Visit their place of work if possible to gain a ‘feel’ for their type of work. Talking to the professionals will help you gain a wider perspective and insight into the type of work. They will be able share with you inside information on the work.

F.     Attend education fairs like the Star Education Fair, Facon Education Fair, NAPEI Education, and others.

Go for education fairs and talk to the lecturers and counselors but do not register to quickly. Listen to their advise and take the information and then talk to your parents. Remember that the colleges and universities want your money for their “business” so they will want you to register quickly. Talk to the various counsellors at the booths to find out more information about the individual careers. Ask about tuition costs, short description of the career, job prospects, facilities offered in the college, and others. Ask them if the course is accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), if you can apply for the PTPTN loan and how much you can apply for, how long is the course, etc.

G.    Use the Internet and local library.

Use these resources available to you to find out more information about the careers that you are interested in. Use the search engine on the Internet to find the information that you need. Your local library is a good source of information as well. Ask the librarian to assist you in finding out your careers of interest.

2.     Evaluate the information.

After you have gathered all the necessary information then you need to weigh your options. Go through all the information and choose the careers that you would like to take up and take out those that you don’t like. Make a pro and con list for each career that you like. From the information evaluate the points carefully on its workability, your financial viability, future prospects, your interests and results.

3.     Make a decision.

After evaluating all the information that you have, now you are ready to make a decision. Decide on maybe four career choices. For example, you may want to put your first career choice as Medicine, second in Pharmacy, third in Food Science and fourth in Nutrition. When one does not work out because of grades, finances or interest then you have a back up choice.

Remember two things: It is okay to change career options during your time of study, however, you need to make informed and educated choices. Secondly, the career that you choose should meet your needs and fit your beliefs and character. You must be happy with the choice and one where it would fit your desired financial status.

• List your strengths, what you are good at, your favourite subjects, the subjects that you do well in, etc.
• List your weaknesses, what you are not good at, what you don’t like, the subjects that you suck at, etc.
• List down your hobbies, interests, likes and dislikes, your personality, etc.
• Discuss the list with your parents, teachers, counselors, or friends
• Search the Internet for descriptions of careers and courses
• Does the course you have chose interest you, how much is the starting salary? What does the work involve?

What can I study? Here are some careers that you can consider:

•Engineering – Aerospace, Automotive, Civil, Chemical, Computer, Electrical, Electrical & Electronic, Electronic & Communication, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Telecommunications or Petroleum

•IT – Computer Science, Computing, Software Engineering,

•Business – Accounting, Accounting & Finance, Business Administration, Finance, Human Resource Management, Logistics, Management, or Marketing

•Social Sciences – Psychology, Education, or Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)

•Hospitality -  Baking, Culinary Arts, Hotel Management, Event Management or Tourism

•Humanities – Law

•Art & Design – Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Interior Architecture, Interior Design,  Architecture, Multimedia,

•Mass Communication – Advertising, Broadcasting , Event Management, Journalism, Public Relations, or Media

•Medical & Health Sciences – Nursing, Physiotherapy, Medical Lab Technician, Pharmacy, or Medicine

•Applied Sciences – Biomedical, Biotechnology (Plant),  Biotechnology (Human), Food Science, or Nutrition

You can always ask me questions here if want to find out more.

Loan scheme brings relief to students

Loan scheme brings relief to students.