Hi guys, I follow a few very successful vloggers on Youtube and two of them regularly invite questions from the viewers - this creates a Q&A section (of viewer-led content) which is actually quite interesting. I would like to do something quite similar please. I have actually had many really good questions over the years on my blog and
usually I would create a whole blog post just to address the issues raised in the question. That's fine - I love these complex questions, but I am now going to invite you to ask me any question you like and they don't have to be extremely complex or probing. It can be something like,
"what channels do you subscribe to on Youtube?" I shall write a list of my favourite topics below to help inspire your questions - these are issues that I have blogged/vlogged a lot on over the years.
1.
Traveling (especially around Europe/North Africa)
2.
Living/studying/working abroad (especially in Europe)
3.
Making smart choices when it comes to further education
4.
Dealing with winter weather/winter clothing
5.
Fashion (especially formal wear for men)
6.
Sports & fitness (especially gymnastics)
7.
Studying/learning foreign languages
8.
Getting on the property ladder/property investment
9.
Making friends, dealing with friends/colleagues
10.
Finding a job, dealing with gatekeepers
So, I am looking forward to reading your questions and answering them - keep them coming! Many thanks for reading.
What is your view on the case where a 6 years old boy molest the 6 years old girl in the kindergarten in Singapore. Is it the fault of the teacher in charge or the parent?
ReplyDeleteIs the action taken by the school and authority adequate or not?
OK good question, I will give you an answer. Thanks for that question.
DeleteHi Kelvin, I didn't select your question for the piece I made for Youtube but as I have promised you a reply, here it is anyway.
DeleteThe boy is below the age of criminal responsibility - those I'm afraid, that means the authorities can do little with him. The parents of the victim however, can sue the kindergarten - after all, they failed in their duty of care to their daughter. When you place your child in a kindergarten, you have the right to expect them to take good care of her and prevent shit like that from happening - they clearly failed to do so. I'm not sure about how one may go about that in Singapore, but certainly, they should try to sue the kindergarten in the very least for damages. As for the kindergarten, can they try to sue the parents of the boy? I am not sure - I would be in favour of that, though I don't think the law would be on their side. It is just part of the risk they take when you run an establishment like that - though I'm sure they're more used to children hurting themselves whilst playing rather than this case. Yikes.
Hi Alex, I like to share this commentary posted in the Today newspaper two weeks ago: http://www.todayonline.com/commentary/millennials-cannot-be-blamed-if-they-quit-their-jobs
ReplyDeleteWhat are your views on it after reading this? Is there indeed a dichotomy between the "millennials" and the rest in terms of how a person displays his or her working attitude?
I will have a read of the link you have provided Marvin and give you an answer for that! Many thanks.
DeleteHi Marvin, I think that this is a rather broad topic and I can't really do it justice here. I would just like to point out that we should all take personal responsibility for the things that go wrong in our careers rather than stick labels on people. Thanks.
DeleteThere is a stereotype that UK food is usually tasteless. So what do you usually eat?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHahahaha, everyone was asking such profound questions - finally a question that I can relate to. I will include this as part of my answers!
DeleteAlex, can you do a quick review of food in the EU region and come up with recommendations? If I make the time to visit any of these countries, what food should I try for each countries?
DeleteGood question but I have already done a post to address that: http://limpehft.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/10-unusual-european-dishes-for-you-to.html
DeleteDo you have any insights on the arts/media industry in Singapore? I'm currently studying digital media design in a polytechnic and I'm really conflicted if I should continue to pursue art as a career (like as a freelancer)
ReplyDeleteOK I shall be pleased to tackle this issue for you as well. Thanks for your question - it is a profound question indeed.
DeleteHi Alex, how to you deal with wrist sprains in particular for gymnastics?
ReplyDeleteHi Herman, good question. I have a bad wrist too from years of gymnastics - happy to talk about that though I have no miracle solutions for bad wrists.
Deletehaha, was hoping you did. As I understand, the only solution is injecting stem cells into the localised area to allow your body to regrow the damaged tendons or if you already won the life lottery and have genetically broader wrists.
DeleteHi LIFT, could you share your experience when you first entered the working world; in particular, how you transitioned from a university environment to a work environment, whether you committed any professional mistakes (like burning bridges etc) and how you learned from them? I think it would be very helpful for young university students reading your blog, especially for myself who will be graduating in about a month. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGoodness me Delia, you guys are asking such serious questions. I was first inspired by this Youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMrAZNMXW44 whereby this Youtuber was answering silly questions but my readers are very serious and intellectual people :) I am happy to answer your question as well but I don't think I've made any VERY serious mistakes along the way. I do follow a principle of 好马不吃回头草- so I can think of a small handful people I would never ever want to work for ever again, but that's more a matter of me choosing not to ever be associated with them ever again rather than them choosing never to want to employ me again. If I went to them today, I probably could still get a pretty decent reference. But from my interaction with your students on my blog, I think they seriously lack the confidence to say "I don't wanna work with this person/company" and they don't realize how important that kind of decision can be. But more when I write you a proper answer ok?
DeleteWell I guess it's because you've written many insightful things about serious issues, and personally I've benefited a lot from reading your entries about professional skills :) Thanks again.
DeleteI am the exact opposite- I have no qualms about saying "I don't wanna work with this person" (and these are people who have been very disrespectful or degrading towards me) and I'm concerned if "burning bridges" this way has done me more harm than good.
Hi Delia, I think you're talking about extremes lah - I have heard of stories where people resign by storming into the boss' office, screaming and shouting, throwing things before leaving in a huff with their middle finger high up in the air. That's very extreme and hardly ever happens. Most of us are quite happy to leave quietly, serve our notice period, make sure we hand over our duties to the next person taking over and that's hardly 'burning bridges'. Leaving a company is quite common these days, nobody ever works for one company for like 10 or more years. It is how you leave that matters - always be civilized and dignified. I wonder what you mean by 'burning bridges' - I only see that as someone who throws a massive tantrum on his/her last day. Even I have never done that. I just leave quietly.
DeleteOh then perhaps I've gotten the definition of "burning bridges" wrong. My apologies. I meant making work relationships awkward. I have spoken up against racist/sexist/homophobic colleagues before. I tend to use strong words when dealing with conflict so I'm sure that has soured quite a few relationships. I've been advised never to break work relationships that way, yet I have to stand up for myself when it gets overboard, so I don't know what the right balance is.
DeleteI feel that you should separate people you could potentially work for (or at least supply a reference) and people you may have to work with (ie. at your level or below). I would be more careful with people you work for but I wouldn't give a toss about the people who are either at my level or below my level. Yes there is a difference when it comes to whom you're dealing with, depending on the level of the hierarchy they are at. Correct me if I am wrong Delia, you've only acted like that with people at the same level as you right? So that's perfectly fine by me.
DeleteYup, only with people on my level or below.
DeleteHi Alex, I have been trying to do a little bit of digging to advise my daughter. She is taking her A level and doing pretty well academically and has a well-rounded portfolio. Her interests are in Engineering and Econs - her projects/research have won some awards (within Singapore only, ah). She is not very firm in which area she wants pursue - for now it is chemical, material sciences or Electrical/Electronics. With that in mind she has taken up a couple of modules in NUS this year, to get a feel of the field. She is probably oriented more towards research.
ReplyDeleteShe stands a fair chance for scholarship from A star for Overseas Uni.
Now my dilemma, If ( Big If) she gets a scholarship and a place in the Uni of her choice (She has an interest to go to ICL( first preference) or a good US Ivy League only ) then should she take it? Scholarship has the mandatory criteria of having to do masters as well as Phd besides serving the bond. She worries if she lands up in a course that she realises is not really her cup of tea, she would be stuck with doing a masters and phd.
On one hand she feels doing a grad in NUS/NTU and then taking a call after that would be good ( saves money and headache for me :-). But that could also mean losing out on an opportunity to do an undergrad in a World class Uni and missing out on the dynamics of it, the prestige of having that on your resume. While NUS is darn good, I personally believe that living overseas away from home will help her become a stronger person, one who takes charge for her life. Singapore is a lovely little cocoon, real world is not. It would be good to go out and explore and find her footing. I will probably get a lot of grey hairs though.
I would really appreciate if you could share your perspective. After all you are from the other side :-)
Thank you for talking the time
Sundari
Hi Sundari,
DeleteI will give you a longer reply, but I don't wanna keep you waiting for it. It is a no-brainer. Apply for the scholarship and see what happens - it is very hard to get one of those scholarships and whilst your daughter is undoubtedly intelligent, the competition for those scholarships is intensely fierce and the number of scholarships awarded per year is limited. Did you consider this: whether or not she is awarded the scholarship will depend on whom she is up against. If she has a bad year and is up against some super high achievers, like child prodigies, then they will get the scholarships. If she is up against some mediocre people, then she will get the scholarship. So I want you to bear that in mind, just in case it is a no - then you can understand why. Everything is relative.
But definitely, apply, hope for the best and then make that decision if & when you have a scholarship offer. Otherwise, it is not wise to count one's chickens before they hatch.
Hi Sundari,
ReplyDeleteI understand that your question is directed to Alex, but I just like to share my opinion, since I was in a similar position 5-6 years back after receiving my A level results. I did a research project in materials science and participated in a few research competitions during JC, and since I like physics and chemistry, enrolling myself into a materials engineering course appears to be a natural choice. I applied to NUS and five UK unis, all ranked top 5 in UK in the field of materials science, and received offers from all of them. If money isn't an issue, I will definitely go to UK. Applying to overseas scholarships that come with a 6-year bond is the only option for me. Some people suggested that I seek certain organisations giving scholarships with less stringent criteria and a large number of awardees annually, such as DSTA and AStar. However, I wasn't really sure I want to commit myself to go into research and work in these research-intensive organisations after graduation. Hence, I still took the NUS offer, although I was worrying that I will be shortchanged by missing out the overseas exposure.
Surprisingly, my four years at NUS drastically changed my outlook in life and I learned much about myself. During my first two years, I did an undergraduate research project in materials science, various engineering core modules and a bunch of physical geography modules (out of my interest since young) to satisfy the elective requirements. I started grew tired of the engineering course that I was in. One reason is I find that I wasn’t benefitting from the engineering curriculum that isn’t geared towards helping students to acquire real-world problem-solving skills, as evident from the lack of projects particularly at lower-level undergraduate modules. Another reason is the lab-intensive nature of the materials science field and industry. While I like solving problems through research, I realised I didn’t like working under the mundane lab environment donning in lab protective gears and such, and I don’t foresee myself working in the lab for a career. On the other hand, I enjoyed the geography modules I was taking and their heavy emphasis on projects. Thus, I took the last-minute, crazy plunge by switching my major to geography at the end of the second year and taking on excess workload for the remaining four semesters. Although I didn’t like certain parts of the geography curriculum, I am still glad I made this good decision. I did my final year dissertation that I am extremely passionate about, and I am pursuing a PhD in earth sciences after graduation (surprisingly a geography background isn’t adequate for admission and my engineering background helps me in that, since earth sciences is heavily driven by quantitative analysis). Point is I completely didn’t foresee that I will be doing what I now love 5-6 years back.
If your daughter have a place in a good overseas university that she likes, and she is funded by the university scholarship or you are willingly to fund her studies, then go for it. If not, bonded scholarships is the only option. Financial assistance in many top universities, especially those in the UK, isn’t an option for international undergraduate students. Personally, I would strongly discourage taking a bonded scholarship. Being in university is the time when many people will understand themselves better and uncover their hidden interests, like in my case. It will really be a pain should a scholar find out his or her new passion and is unable to pursue it because of the obligatory bond.
Continuing on, if money is an issue but she is concerned about lack of the overseas exposure, it is still possible to gain overseas exposure in the local unis. They offer numerous short- and long-term overseas programmes in the form of school exchange, double-degree programme, internship, startup opportunity and so on. I did two of such short-term programmes in two different continents, each for 1-2 months. Of course, it is up to students to actively seek out such opportunities, instead of being passive and waiting for things to fall in place as the majority of local students are. It is still possible to make the best out of every opportunity based on one's attitude, be it at a local uni or anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteHi Alex,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your response. I expected no less. I have read a bunch of your posts in the past few months to know that limpeh is practical to a fault. I have to build a chicken coop and I have no idea how to, want to know if it is worth it, hence this request.
I understand that getting a place in Uni as well as getting a scholarship are both big hurdles she has to cross. Till last year she was fixed on NUS/NTU, so I did not even bother when my siblings were prodding me to come down to US and check some of the Unis. Besides I did not think she could be that independent. But she has matured now and after chats with seniors, and college counselors, my daughter is contemplating her options. The problem is she will know only in Apr/May ish next year whether she gets the scholarship. Not much time for me to do ground work to decide then. So I was trying to find out if the overseas uni is worth it, if so work out what it entails financially, problems faced, etc. I dont have close friends/relatives in UK so I dont want to scramble then. Even if she decides to stay put in sg, I would ask her to apply first and probably I would prep a bit for it too because with this girl it has always been expect the unexpected.
NUS is like in my backyard, easy life for her. Sometimes I wonder her attraction of NUS comes from being a little complacent, Or is she just getting enamored by the "prestige" of the Overseas education. Darn stubborn girl - my opinion may not dent her decision much but logical advice perhaps would. So I want to read up, talk to people, get different perspectives and see what makes sense with her personality and aptitude, to give her some food for thought as she embarks into adulthood.
I have read some of your posts written from a gatekeeper's perspective , and feel you can give me a pragmatic insights.
Hi Sundari, a few points for you if I may.
Delete1. I don't think that you personally need to go to America, the UK or anywhere else to 'check some of the Unis'. That's what league tables are for - you're not buying a house, you're enrolling your daughter in college. You know me, I am Mr Pragmatic - any kind of "oh look, you can see the lake from the corridors of the building, what a nice view" kinda factor is way less important than say, the prestige factor or the ranking on the league tables. What do you hope to achieve by visiting these universities and tell me, what information isn't already available for you on the internet via reliable sources?
2. You're making a mistake about your perception that your daugher isn't grown up/independent enough to live abroad on her own. Unless you give her the chance to spread her wings, she will never be grown up and independent if she stays at home with mummy at her side. Cause & effect. I grew up a lot and learnt so much about functioning independently when I left home - but that changed happened after I left home, because I left home. That catalyst for change has got to be there - you're being completely unrealistic (if not illogical) to expect your daughter to be grown up and independent before actually leaving home.
3. Make your daughter do the ground work - not you. If I may share my experience, my parents actually did ZERO ground work. They left it to me and my teacher(s) at VJC to make the decision. I had a few really excellent teachers at VJC who were so incredibly helpful in terms of getting me the scholarship and putting me on the right programme etc. What about asking her teachers for their opinion if they are any good?
4. I noted you wrote the words 'problems faced' and I was like, WHAAAAT? What problems?! The pros faaaar outweigh the cons IF you can get your daughter a place at a good university. I only bemoan the parents who spend their life savings on sending their kid to a uni at the wrong end of the league table. So much of that depends on whether you're sending your daughter to Oxford or some chapalang crap university at the bottom of the league table - it makes a world of a difference. I'm your British man in London - ask me any questions you have.
5. Would going to NUS make her happy though, if she knew she was say, Oxford/Cambridge material? It may leave her with a huge gap in her life, that feeling of regret.
Hi Marvin,
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for your detailed sharing.
Blessed are those who know what they want to do very early in life. Great that you found your interests while still studying. The best decisions in my life have been the spontaneous , i-must –be-mad ones. You have to be open to listen to your heart and give it a shot. So glad you did.
I loved Alex’s biz adventure and his freaking reaction to wrapping it up ! That is what following your heart is all about. But of course, take you brains and confidence along. He gave it his best and was wise to know when it is not viable. If he had put in his last penny in it doubt he could be vacationing. That is what brains are for, no?
May I ask if you took up any scholarship for NUS undergrad? We went for the open houses this year
Fully funding Uni might be a an issue, and the question is it worth the money, since she could do it cheaper in SG even without scholarship. A Star scholarship for local U doesn’t have bond period, only mandatory Phd and 1 yr attachment I think. But your experience would make me rethink if she should even accept a local scholarship. I head of some industry scholarships that is bond free, need to check that up.
You are totally right about seeking out actively. That has been my advise to her right from secondary - Stop obessing about marks and explore - take elective, participate in completion, get out of that comfort zone. Some were good, some were boring and some like the CSmodule she too were a total pain. If we wait for things to be handed to us, wait long long , haha.
She got the opportunity to go to S.Korea for a couple of weeks for an exchange program last year, and also hosted them here. The trip has helped broaden her mind. Otherwise she was the proverbial frog in the well. She is set to go for 2 weeks to Germany this June. Her first Europe trip and she waits eagerly ).
Thanks once again.
Sundari
PS - Forgive me if I have presumed your name incorrectly.
You got my name right. During then, I knew there are only 2-3 private organisations providing local/overseas bond-free scholarships out of good will, while the rest of bond-free awards are given out the respective local universities. The competition for bond-free scholarships, even for some local ones, are greater than those with bond. It is way much harder to get such scholarships at NUS compared other local universities, since NUS doesn't need to worry about losing the best applicants to other places and its cohort is relatively strong to being with. Also, different quotas are set for different faculties depending on their popularity amongst applicants, so the chance of getting such scholarships depends on your intended major. A caveat is although they are bond-free, there are certain requirements that a scholar has to fulfil after receiving the award. For instance, if a scholar receives the bond-free scholarship offered by engineering faculty in NUS, he/she has to commit to the three-year structured programme, instead of the four year, and cannot switch major (as I did) without being imposed a monetary penalty.
DeleteI did not take up any bond-free scholarship, although I was shortlisted for the faculty one that I mentioned, which I wasn't committed to meeting those stipulated requirements. But then I received the PSEA funds, bursaries, a book award that cover at least half of the tuition fee, and together with the allowance I made from my internships and part time jobs, I only need to settle the outstanding ~$5k after graduation. Even without a scholarship, you can't get into a big debt by taking out a local university tuition loan if you learn to be financially responsible as a young adult.
It is great that you are supporting your daughter to grow in a holistic manner. Like what Alex said, let your daughter do her groundwork by checking out with her peers and teachers. What I said about the bond-free scholarships only apply 5 years ago, and things may now have changed. Give your best advice to her, but believe that she needs to make her own decisions and to live with them no matter the eventual outcome. My parents did not interfere with but supported my decisions from whatever groundwork I did throughout my education path. I do made a couple of bad decisions, learned from the mistakes and lived with them, and my parents still supported my endeavours. I am sure Alex has touched upon such similar issue many times (and I hope he doesn't mind my own sharing because this blog topic is dedicated for questions for him by readers!)
I think Marvin and I have had similar experiences in that our parents supported us but didn't tell us what to do. I was pretty much left in the good hands of my JC teachers who understood the system better and they had helped many students get scholarships over the years. My parents were clearly out of their depth and the only route they knew was that of NUS (which my two older sisters took) but with the myriad of possibilities that lay before me as a potential scholar, I think my parents knew when to let my teachers take over.
DeleteAnd of course, I'm here to share and help like you Marvin. I am so pleased to hear about a mother who is so caring and willing to help - but Marvin is right, make sure your daughter does the majority of the homework and research so it is her decision at the end of the day and not yours.
Hi all, just to let you know, I am going to pick my favourite questions from here and then answer them in a Youtube video. The rest will still get a reply here, but the best questions will be answered in the video which I shall make this weekend. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteFinally, it is ready. I had to limit myself to just 5 questions - sorry if I didn't pick your question. http://limpehft.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/limpeh-answers-your-questions.html
ReplyDelete