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Behind you all the way! NYP staff and senior management showing their support for our competitors at the tea session.

Recently, Singapore concluded the 28th SEA Games with an impressive 259-medal haul, surpassing the nation’s past record of 164 medals. However, we’re not quite done winning yet.
Come 11th to 16th August 2015, 22 competitors coming from the institutions of higher learning, will represent Singapore at the biennial 43rd WorldSkills Competition to be held in held in São Paulo, Brazil.

Of those 22, 10 are NYP students or graduates. They will be competing in 8 skill areas ranging from Health & Social Care to Mobile Robotics. The competitors were all gathered at the NYP Lounge for a tea session on 12 June. Attendees included former NYP Principal & Chief Executive Officer Mr Chan Lee Mun, Deputy Principal Mr Edward Ho and NYP staff who play an important role in coaching or training the competitors.

In his speech, Mr Chan encouraged the competitors to do their best. He also noted that a haul of gold medals would make an excellent welcoming gift to Ms Jeanne Liew, who would be succeeding him as the new Principal & CEO of NYP come 1st July 2015. Mr Chan retired on 30 June 2015.

Let’s meet some NYP competitors and learn about their journey to WordSkills.

Health & Social Care: Lim Ling

The heat is on for Lim Ling, a current Year 2 Diploma in Nursing student, and the only female representative from Team NYP.

This is the fifth time Singapore would be taking part in the Health & Social Care skills area. Lim Ling admits to feeling anxious about her chances and the intense pressure she faces since all her seniors had successfully obtained gold medals.

Lim Ling interacting with our former PCEO Mr Chan

Lim Ling was first talent-spotted by her ITE lecturers for her immaculate skills. She did not disappoint and won the gold medal in WorldSkills Singapore in 2014. In the meantime, she graduated from ITE and is now furthering her studies in NYP.

In preparation for the upcoming competition, Lim Ling trains herself with timed scenarios related to nursing patients. In these scenarios, she needs to demonstrate key nursing and good communication skills.

A positive Lim Ling said “Of course I hope I can get the gold so I can continue the gold-winning
streak for NYP nursing school. I feel that the competition gets harder with each round but I will do my very best. I’m still undergoing training now so I hope by August I will be fully prepared.”

Mechanical Engineering Design – CAD: Muhammad Miqdad Bin Mazlan

Miqdad only had one word when asked how he felt about representing Singapore: “Wow”.
Elaborating on that, he said “You can feel the pressure; the burden is on your shoulders. I mean when people tell you to bring back the gold, you can really feel the weight.”

Having just graduated in May with a Diploma in Aeronautical & Aerospace Technology, Miqdad has yet to venture into the industry. Hence, in preparation for the impending competition, he studiously goes through all the past scenarios given during previous WorldSkills competitions.

As though he is studying for an upcoming exam, he also attempts to figure out the possible competition scenarios and prepares himself for them, with the assistance of his coaches whom he is thankful to. “Throughout the competition, a different situation will be given daily. Thus, I need to know different strategies and solutions. My coaches are helping me to know how to determine the best solution.”

Miqdad did not expect that he would have made it this far, and represent Singapore. When he was first approached to take part in WorldSkills Singapore, the local leg of the competition, he said yes because he was interested in it. Little did he expect that he would eventually emerge as the gold medallist and get the chance to now take part at the international-level. And now that he has this valuable opportunity, Miqdad certainly cherishes it!

Mobile Robotics: Lin Yong Qiang & Dinesh Mangalanathadurai

It is not easy to communicate when in a partnership with someone, much less under intense conditions like the WorldSkills Competition. Yet Dinesh and Yong Qiang, newly graduated from the Diploma in Electronic, Computer and Communication Engineering course, have it under control.
The Mobile Robotics skill area, a two-member team competition, requires competitors to carry out stipulated tasks using their robots. Competitors need to be competent in both the mechanical aspects and programming of the robots.

The boys make it a point to delegate tasks during the short briefing time they have before the competition. Since both are equally trained in the both the mechanical and programming skills, they stress the importance to divide their responsibilities well, to ensure they are able to perform their required tasks.

Dinesh interacting with our former PCEO Mr Chan

During the competition, the competition arena is likely to be bustling with noisy and excited spectators which may prove a challenge for communications. How do they intend to combat this?
Yong Qiang, a technology enthusiast, says, “We will use hand gestures to help us. For example, we work together using a laser pointer to identify the location of the robot and where the robot is going to move next.”

The duo did not know each other well when they first started. They were paired up by their coaches, who felt that that Dinesh and Yong Qiang would work well together. And it looks like their coaches are correct!

Currently, the robot Dinesh and Yong Qing built is on its way to São Paulo. It takes close to one month to ship it. To continue training back in Singapore, they built an identical substitute robot.
“As of now, we are still getting used to the new robot. Soon we will be programming the robot to run faster and perform better,” said Dinesh

So what’s the worst case scenario for the boys?

“The robot breaking into pieces,” the boys replied jokingly. On a more serious note, they are both training very hard with the aim of getting gold.

Good luck to all representatives of Singapore for the 43rd WorldSkills Competition. No matter the outcome, I’m sure all Singaporeans would be equally proud of you!

By Felicia Kwan, Diploma in Food Science & Nutrition student

Felicia is an aspiring writer who loves to eat & travel around the world. She is also an avid reader, and hopes to inspire the world with her writing one day.

Recently, in June, the School of Interactive & Digital Media (SIDM) held a 3-day exhibition at the ArtScience Museum. Entitled the SIDM Art Interactive Experience, many artworks from students and alumni were showcased. This is the second year the ArtScience Museum was hosting SIDM. This year, our alumni were also invited to exhibit their works to celebrate SIDM’s 20th anniversary. I headed down to the exhibition and here are is what I saw.

Food Artist Catherine Leck

The chameleon’s skin is made out of nerd candies! Who would’ve thought!

Since young, our parents have always warned us to never play with food. Miss Catherine Leck here is a rebel and decided that she is going to do just that.

Catherine took the road less travelled and made art with actual food. Cool! Her pieces are so well put together that you would not have known food ingredients were used. Catherine is a corporate logo designer but she does innovative work like food art as a hobby. She wishes to let people know that creation is easy when you innovate and reimagine. Her words of advice: “Always, always innovate.”
Check out her YouTube channel to see how she creates her food art pieces.

Figurine Artist Jackson Aw

Some of the popart sculptures that Jackson makes

Jackson Aw creates sculptures, and works with international artists to transform 2D designs into 3D. He works with a lot of street artists, to create figurines that convey social messages. This obese batman for example, touches on the obesity problem in the USA. Some challenges he faces while producing these figures include envisioning how a 2D- sketching would look like in 3D, and which colour or painting technique to use.

Jackson was formerly an SIDM Interactive Media student, and in his studies, he focused more on software. What I found interesting about Jackson was that he was brave enough to go outside his area of expertise and explore sculpture making, something which he enjoys doing now. His advice to students: “ Don’t think so much, just do it.”

Illustrator Joey Woon

Some of the many sketches Joey did before the final product was approved

You have probably read about the Little Wayang Kid article here. Well, it was a pleasure to see Joey Ng Kai Woon as one of the exhibitors, showcasing her illustrations. She shared that her Little Wayang Kid work was actually her Final Year Project, and she worked with her clients to make this movie-to-book adaptation. It was challenging for her to draw the motions of the characters but she definitely pulled it off. She advised students to always have passion and determination in their work.

A visitor playing with the interactive led screen

I spoke to one of the visitors, who called herself Harumuchi. She was impressed by the works displayed although she wished that more artists could have participated. She was also fascinated to know that the creator of the successful Evacomics is actually an alumnus of NYP SIDM. I am too!

Playing with the Wacom tablet that professionals use

As for myself, it was definitely inspiring to see how much SIDM alumni, who were once students like me, have accomplished thus far. Some of them may not have continued to do something related to their diploma, but they have found something that they enjoy doing and are excelling in it. It was an absolutely fun experience!

Postcards designed by some of the alumni

The SIDM Art Interactive Experience is now being showcased at the NYP library. Head to our library to see some of the artworks from the exhibition before they are taken down!

By Siti Hawa Noorashikeen, Diploma in Motion Graphics & Broadcast Design, and
Nurmala, Diploma in Nursing.

Since the start of this month, Foodgle Hub Food Court has gained the title of being Nanyang Polytechnic’s 5th canteen. Located in the newly built Block P Convention Centre, the food court is open every weekday from 7.30am to 7.30pm, and Saturday from 7.30am to 2pm. It features several brand-new stalls!

What’s even better about the food court is that diners there can enjoy their food in an air-con environment! Yes, this is our second air-conditioned food court!

One of the great things about food is getting to eat it! However, with so many new choices, even I would not know what to pick!

Hence, to help you narrow your choices, here are some of the new dishes, and opinions of them from our fellow NYP schoolmates.

First up is a local dish that can be found almost everywhere, chicken rice (Halal)!

Here’s what Daniel Benjamin Ang, an Accounting & Finance student, has to say:
“The chicken was tender and succulent! But the rice was rather plain. Yet, after eating it with the dark sauce, everything fitted perfectly.”

Next, we have the sweet, sour and spicy Phat Thai with crunchy peanut bits!

“It’s very crunchy, and the sourness is just nice. The noodles taste great too!” said Lim San Ho from the Diploma in Fund Management & Administration.

Next up is the Nasi Ayam Panggang set from Indonesian Express (Halal)!

Imagine taking a bite of that huge drumstick glazed with sweet barbeque sauce.

“It’s great! The chicken is very tender while the BBQ sauce is sweet. Although the curry felt unnecessary, it was delicious overall and I give it full marks,” remarked Jesman Seah, from the Diploma in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Moving on, we check out the mini Bak Kut Teh in a cute basket!

Tried and tasted by Seah Yang Qi from Fund Management & Administration, she said: “The soup has a good and strong meaty flavour which I enjoyed.”

However, Jed Tham Yu Xiang, from the same course, stated:” It’s rather normal. I’ve tasted better Bak Kut Teh.”

Next is the Thai Fried Rice topped with an egg, and the Fried KL Hokkien Mee! Spiced with chilli padi, and soaked in seafood gravy after being wok fried, the Hokkien Mee sounds perfect.

For the Thai Fried Rice, its taster, Kam Jia Qi, from Fund Management & Administration, said: “It smells so good, and it has a salty flavour that I love. I rate it 7/10.”

Lastly, for snacks, you can get almost everything at Taiwan Ichiban! For $2.50, you can enjoy the crispy potato fries, fried mushroom, fried squid and fish! You can also get their signature crispy chicken for $3 or more.

Tried and tasted by Xu Jie from Pharmaceutical Sciences, he commented, “It’s tasted really good and crispy, especially with the savoury vibrant potato flavour. I give it a 4/5.”

If that isn’t enough, there’s also the savoury round takoyaki balls stall located in the middle of the canteen!

“So soft and mushy, and the sweet sauce is super irresistible,” said Seah Yang Qi from Fund Management & Administration.

Hungry yet? What are you waiting for then? Astons and Gong Cha? So am I.

Taste is subjective, hence, everyone will have something that he or she particularly likes.
Go and venture forth and challenge your taste buds! After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

We would appreciate your views also.

And may you be rewarded with a happy tummy!

By Sharlene Tan, Diploma in Fund Management & Administration

“The strongest hearts are the ones that have been broken.”

Setbacks are unavoidable in life, but what matters is picking yourself up.☺ Being one of the new members of The Write Stuff, Sharlene Tan is on her amazing journey to living life fulfilled.

Her family and friends are the ones who have kept her going, and they mean the world to her.

What started out as a normal sunny day in NYP, ended with an experience to remember for approximately 100 students involved in Operation SBM.

What exactly is Operation SBM? It is an event organized by the SBM Club to educate preschoolers on the importance of cherishing Earth.

On 22th July 2015 at 1.30pm, those who signed up for the voluntary event, gathered at the SBM Club room. Everyone was then allocated one of four different groups.

Next, Accountancy and Finance student Rebecca Ong, one of the team leaders, passed out the instructions. Volunteers were to wear the free “Angel in Operation” t- shirts being distributed, and the four groups were to converge into two groups. Groups 1 and 4 became one group, while Groups 2 and 3 became another group.

Groups 1 and 4 were assigned to clean up designated NYP classrooms, while Groups 2 and 3 were assigned to help preschoolers, from Learning Vision Centre, create and decorate cards dedicated to Mother Nature.

Being in Group 3, I could hear my friends cooing when we met the little children from Learning Vision Centre. They were really adorable, honestly, and although I felt nervous as I have not worked with kids before, I was excited to embrace whatever awaited me.

Thankfully, I managed to gain the confidence to ask them their names. During my time spent with them, I noticed that one of my little friends, in his message, wrote “Dear God” instead of addressing it to Mother Nature. That surprised me! However, I left his words as they were.

Work-in-progress

Two girls proudly holding their fancy cardboard cards made for Mother Nature

And here’s one of the finished artworks made together with a boy I had assisted! Not too bad right? :)

Malcolm Teo Zhi Hao, from Diploma in Banking & Finance, said: “It was a very interesting and fun experience to interact with the kids because it reminded me of my childhood days.”

After we helped the kids with their cards, we swapped tasks with the other group. We proceeded to help clean certain classrooms, while the other group brought the kids to watch a video about recycling at Block D.

Hospitality & Tourism student Ng Wei Ming said: “The cleaning part was not too bad. The recycling video was quite entertaining and taught the kids how to create flower vases or sand-scoops with used plastic bottles.”

After cleaning the classrooms, we also put up posters to encourage students to keep our campus clean. Here is how they look!

After that was done, everyone gathered together and we were rewarded with tasty treats!

Both for the kids and us alike

Afterwards, flowers as well as appreciation cards were given to the cleaners around SBM, to thank them for doing their jobs and keeping our school clean and conducive for learning.

After the operation, I learnt that cleaning places is really not easy. After doing it only for an hour, it felt really tedious. I cannot imagine how the cleaners in school manage to do it every day. I began to realise that I’ve always taken the cleanliness in school for granted.

Now I really appreciate their hard work and I hope other students and visitors to NYP would do likewise. We must support those who are working to keep our environments clean and green as well.

“I felt that today’s event was a success, and I'm really happy and appreciative to see students take time off to volunteer for this event. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves and learnt something from today. I’m glad the efforts put in by my team and I paid off well,” said Rebecca Ong from the planning team.

Thanks to the planning team behind Operation SBM, I honestly had a great experience mingling with kids, together with my friends! I also hope that the children from Learning Vision Centre, and as many people as possible, will cherish the earth they live in.

By Sharlene Tan, Diploma in Fund Management & Administration

“The strongest hearts are the ones that have been broken.”

Setbacks are unavoidable in life, but what matters is picking yourself up.☺ Being one of the new members of The Write Stuff, Sharlene Tan is on her amazing journey to living life fulfilled.

Her family and friends are the ones who have kept her going, and they mean the world to her.

While Singapore might have achieved prosperity, there are still some homeless people in Singapore who are often invisible and forgotten. That is why we, a team of Year 3 students from the Diploma in Social Sciences (Social Work), decided to focus on the homeless for our Final Year Project (FYP).

Through several weeks, during the evenings, we reached out to the homeless living on the streets to find out more about their lives, social circumstances and living conditions. We also talked to social workers who work with the homeless to get their professional views and find out more about their experiences and the challenges they face in their work.

However, our surveys with members of the public showed that very few of them knew about the predicaments of the homeless, or how people can end up being homeless. Hence, we organised a one-day-one-night simulation programme for members of the public to step into the shoes of a homeless person. We publicized the event through our Home Without Shelter Facebook page and invited people to sign up for our programme there.

Our stay-over campaign was held at The Hiding Place, a halfway house at Jalan Lekar, on 18 and 19 July. It involved 19 participants and 11 volunteers. To allow participants to have a realistic sense of what it meant to be homeless, we had several exercises planned.

The day started with The Game of Life: Homeless Edition, an activity our FYP group painstakingly crafted.

Participants were put into different demographic groups, including the elderly, substance abusers, and others. They had to find jobs and earn money. But that quest was made harder by the “baggage” that weighed them down. Some of the “elderly”, for example, experienced arthritis through beans placed into their shoes, while others were slowed down by the weights tied to their legs. “Substance abusers” had ice poured into their shirts to simulate drug withdrawal symptoms.

Their choices of “jobs” were limited to low-paying ones, like begging, factory, administrative, cleaning and “Karang Guni” (rag and bone collectors) jobs. They could use the money they earned to buy food or drinks, or rent a shelter instead of having to sleep outdoors. They had to make choices, and sacrifices, just as the homeless do.

Each station can only take 1-2 participants at one time. Each job lasts 15 minutes. If all the stations are filled, participants can only be “beggars”, earning $5

It’s a race against time at the Admin job station! In order to receive their wages ($20), participants had to finish typing an article, consisting of more than 1000 words, in 15 minutes.

Christopher Teo, a participant, working hard at the “Karang Guni” station ($10).

At the car wash station ($10), participants were made to wash a van with a tiny sponge.

There were two factory-based simulation jobs at this station. The first was packing beans (using chopsticks) into a sachet ($15).

The second was folding clothes neatly and piling them up ($15).

Hungry or thirsty? Participants could treat themselves at the “kopitiam” with the money they earned, but that meant that they won’t be able to afford shelter ($50 - $110), for the night.

Here, participants had to work as cleaners ($10) to keep the environment clean!

The organising team had prepared dinner for the participants, which they had to pay "$6" for with the “money” they earned.

Look at these contented faces after dinner!

The participants ate and worked like real homeless people. They too, “experienced” similar feelings of rejection from “employers” and vulnerability to the environment.

After dinner, we screened two documentaries on the plight of the homeless in Singapore, including a self-produced documentary. The participants were then invited to write letters of encouragement to the homeless

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Posted by Home Without Shelter on Tuesday, 28 July 2015

All attention on the screen

Our participants writing the letters to the homeless!

Then, the founder of Homeless Hearts of Singapore, Mr Abraham Yeo, came forward to talk about his passion for helping the homeless. He shared that the most valuable gift he could give them was friendship.

“Open your eyes. Slow down, sit down and talk to them. Walk together with them in their pain. Support them and encourage them to get back on their feet,” he said.

Mr Yeo sharing his thoughts, and being given a token of appreciation

As the day came to a close, each participant was given a piece of cardboard to sleep on. Ironically, even the few who had earned enough to afford shelter decided to sleep on cardboard with the larger group. Why? Probably because if they slept in the shelter, they could not be together with the rest.

Sleeping outdoors together

Just as charity organisations do food runs, we set up a welfare kitchen for our participants. Many were hungry due to the light dinner, and thus felt gratitude when we gave them food. Through this activity, we hope they could understand how it felt being on the receiving end of help, and saw the beauty in giving.

Participants receiving food from our “welfare kitchen”

But the night was not over. It was almost 3am when our “police” woke them up.

In the wee hours of the morning, participants were awoken by our “police”, who later explained the reasoning behind this activity. Just as the homeless get awakened by the police, or evicted from public spaces, our participants experienced the same.

At 7.20am the next day, the simulated experience came to an end. After asking them how they felt, the participants shared that the exercises helped them to understand and empathise with the homeless better.

“I learnt what causes people to become homeless. It is important to prevent the problem from arising before it precipitates, as I cannot imagine being permanently homeless. I mean, living as a homeless person for a few hours is already so difficult, how about those who live like this for months, or maybe even years?” said Christopher Teo, a participant.

“Although the living conditions are tough in this event, we still have other ‘homeless’ persons around us for mutual support. This led me to think about the homeless who have no one by their side, and I think social support is very important,” said Michelle Yap, another participant.

The organising team

Find out more about the homeless by visiting our website Home Without Shelter.

By Matthew Tan Ser Yung, Diploma in Social Science (Social Work)

Matthew is 20 and pursuing his Diploma in Social Sciences (Social Work) at NYP. He may have suffered a traumatic brain injury in a judo competition and may have lost his hopes of becoming a judo champion, but he has found new passion and interest in writing. He is happy to share how he feels and thinks, and hopes to encourage his readers with his writing.

What’s in Farid’s bag?

This week, Yusuf Chouthury Shaik Farid, a Year 2 student from the Diploma in Molecular Biotechnology, shares with us what’s in his bag.

Who goes to Poly without a pencil case? I decided to check out what is in Farid’s pencil case. His pencil case is no different from any typical student’s in NYP. However, Farid uses his stationery for a unique purpose. Farid shared that he is a visual learner, which is why he has not one or two but five highlighters to colour his notes. Lecture notes are often too wordy and monotonous, and Farid gets tired when reading them. So, he has these highlighters to add colour when he is making these notes so that he can organize and study them better!

As a science student, Farid’s lab sessions also involve the handling of many test tubes, hence he also uses his markers to label his test tubes.

Next we have a must-have item, lecture notes! It is essential that Farid has his lecture notes in order for him to understand his lectures. As Farid’s lectures notes are quite heavy (one topic is about 55-77 pages), he summaries them into his very own concise and organized notes.

What is this weird looking clothing and oversized glasses? Oh these are Farid’s lab coat and safety goggles! Since he needs to do experiments which may be hazardous, Farid needs to take certain precautions. These include having proper attire, covered shoes, and a lab coat to protect himself from chemicals and bacteria in the lab.

Farid’s work includes cultivating cancer cells in the lab, and, certainly no one should do experiments like this without a lab coat on! Do the goggles seem different from the typical safety goggles we know of? That is because these goggles are new safety goggles, which allow students to adjust them to suit their face size and protect their eyes better.

Upon looking deeper into his bag, we find that Farid has a special hobby—the Rubik’s Cube. He likes to play with the Rubik’s Cube in his free time in NYP to de-stress himself. He mentioned that his fastest time to solve the Rubik’s Cube is 1 minute!!

Just how did he do it? Farid revealed that there are actually formulas to solve them. Judging by the worn Rubik’s Cube, he must have had it with him for a long time.

Keep a lookout for more What’s in Your Bag posts as we continue to check out other NYP’s students’ bags! J

By Christopher Teo Yu Yuan, Diploma in Medicinal Chemistry

A smile is a curve that sets things straight.

Never be afraid to try. Even if we fail, there is no better way to live. Continue to pursue to what you truly love to do. Christopher is living life with a smile and hopes to be able to use science to save lives and bring hope to other people.

Every day, life is spent filled with unpredictability. As students in NYP, we do face all sorts of challenges in our daily lives. An unexpected conflict between project group mates, financial issues, social issues, power struggle between classmates, etc.

Anything can happen.

But that is not all there is to life. How a person lives when things do not go his/her way depends on himself or herself.

Napoleon Hill once said: “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” I cannot agree more. If someone was born perfect, there’s no way he or she could ever be human. They would never understand what it is like to hit rock bottom, to get back on their feet, or be able to empathize with those around them.

I decided to ask some NYP students what they are proud of, and what would they like to change about themselves.

Theng Yeong with his girlfriend

“I’m not proud at how I wasted the years in my life, thinking I could live without putting in effort. If only I knew earlier, that effort is the key, I wouldn’t have neglected myself then,” said Digital Game Art & Design student Kong Theng Yeong.

“But, I’m proud of my ability to pick things up fast. This allows me to help others and benefit myself. I like myself because I can be helpful,” he added.

Reuben Heng

“I am not proud of how prideful I can get sometimes. Though I get overly proud, I’m still proud of my devotion to playing my guitar. I’m also proud of myself for being the honest person I can be,” said Accountancy & Finance student Reuben Heng.

Joyce Er

“I’m quite lazy and I procrastinate a lot. I simply lack determination and I can’t seem to care sometimes. But because of that, I’m proud at how I can move on quickly in life, especially when I get bad results. I’ll forget about it and switch to focusing for the next test. It’s funny that my flaws can really help me this way,” said Fund Management & Administration student Joyce Er.

Patrick Tierra

“I’m not proud of my reclusive self. This makes me really want to be a friendlier person. Neither am I proud of my height. But I guess I can’t change that. However, I’m proud of my looks, and I’m also proud to be a Filipino and identified as Pinoy in Singapore,” said Patrick Tierra, from the Diploma in Digital & Precision Engineering.

All of us will experience things turning out the way we did not want them to. But having weaknesses is what makes us humans. The strength to see beyond them however, is what sets us apart.

After hearing from these NYP students of the things they’re not proud of, I would like to thank them for their willingness to share them with me. Seeing how they did not forget the things they are delighted about, reminded me not to forget the things I can appreciate too.

Let us keep shining brightly even in our dark moments.

By Sharlene Tan, Diploma in Fund Management & Administration

“The strongest hearts are the ones that have been broken.”

Setbacks are unavoidable in life, but what matters is picking yourself up.☺ Being one of the new members of The Write Stuff, Sharlene Tan is on her amazing journey to living life fulfilled.

Her family and friends are the ones who have kept her going, and they mean the world to her.

While most students proceed with tertiary education after obtaining an O-Level certificate or upon completing their studies in an ITE institution, Ryan Christian Misson (above) and Amira Binte Ismail (below) are part of a fortunate minority in Singapore’s Normal (Academic) cohort – securing a spot in NYP a year earlier than their peers in secondary school. Having obtained outstanding GCE N-Level results, they qualified for the recently introduced Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP). Instead of sitting for the O-Levels as a Secondary 5 student, they skipped their O-Levels and spent a year in PFP. Now, they have graduated and are currently in Year 1.

In PFP, the curriculum structure consists of both common modules and domain specific modules
relevant to their respective courses in Year 1. The common modules are similar to what is taught in secondary school – Language & Communication (English), Mathematics, Life Skills / National Education (Civics and Moral Education) and Physical Education. As for the domain specific modules, they are dependent on one’s chosen course.

For Ryan, a Diploma in Animation student, he took modules like Design Foundation and Applied Arts. Amira, a Diploma in Mass Media Management student, took modules like Contemporary Business Studies and Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance. This foundation year, also known as Year 0, acts as a bridge from secondary school to polytechnic.

Here’s what Ryan and Amira have to say about their experiences in their PFP year.

Ryan Christian Misson

NYP is well-known for its Animation course, and that’s why Ryan chose to study here. He chose PFP because he has a passion for art, and wanted to pursue a Diploma in Animation. He was also not looking forward to the stress that came with taking his O-Levels, another reason that pushed him towards PFP.

To him, PFP was a chance to transit from secondary school to polytechnic without the stress of the O-Levels. Fortunately, he made the right choice. Ryan did not hesitate to tell me that he enjoyed his PFP experience.

Undoubtedly, poly students have to put in more effort to obtain information themselves, unlike in secondary school where the teachers do a lot of spoon feeding. The campus is also a lot bigger and the timetable is not as straightforward as Ryan’s secondary school timetable. However, to him, the academic aspect is similar. Apart from the integrated modules, he still learnt Mathematics and English which are not very different from what he used to study in secondary school. Despite the changes, Ryan did not hesitate to add that his PFP year was not at all stressful, as compared to taking his N-Levels.

Ryan feels that Year 0 and Year 1 are also quite similar now that he’s been through the Foundation Year. The only difference is that his workload got heavier and he has to get used to meeting a new batch of students in Year 1. Being exposed to poly life earlier than his current Year 1 peers gave him an advantage. Having gotten used to poly life, Ryan is better able to deal with his Year 1 studies and workload.

Ryan has some good advice for his juniors and future Secondary 4 N (A) students. He feels that they can consider PFP an alternative if they want to go to poly and know what they would like to do there.

He even weighed the pros and cons - the pros being a head start in what you will learn in Year 1. However, the cons are that one will not have an O-Level certificate if he/she fails PFP. In other words, PFP students have to pass all modules to ensure they can move on to Year 1.

Currently in Year 1, Ryan is enjoying life as a student in NYP. He enjoys studying in NYP as there are many good facilities and he has many nice classmates. Ryan owes his circumstances to a special friend of his. His table partner in secondary school motivated him to study hard. Together, they worked hard for their N-Levels and both qualified for PFP.

Now in a different polytechnic, his friend remains a key motivator for Ryan. Ryan will not forget his aspirations of making his parents proud and his personal reminder not to slack off.

Amira Binte Ismail is currently a Year 1 Diploma in Mass Media Management student. She chose to study at NYP as it is the only polytechnic that offers both Business and Mass Media under one course, and she wanted to major in both fields – a win-win!

She greeted me with a warm smile and was equally warm during our interview. Like Ryan, she found PFP a good opportunity to transit to polytechnic and was not looking forward to the O-Levels. Being an art student in secondary school, she felt that O-Level art was time consuming and demanding. That led her to try out for PFP. Her family and friends were her sources of motivation and she worked towards her goal. She did well for her N-Levels and eventually proceeded to do her PFP in NYP.

Her PFP experience was not as easy as she had anticipated. She felt that she had to be consistent in her work and attitude in order to achieve good results. She was also unfamiliar with the new modules she had to do.

In secondary school, she took subjects like Social Studies and Mother Tongue but in poly, she took modules relevant to her diploma course (such as Accounting and Business) and that is now a big advantage to her as it prepared her for what she will learn for the next three years. PFP also gave her a gist of what poly life would be like.

Amira took this opportunity to reflect on her PFP year and felt that she procrastinated too much last year. She believes that the jump from Year 0 to Year 1 will not be tedious if one is good at time management.

To Amira, the modules she is taking in Year 1 are more detailed and informative as compared to her foundational modules in Year 0. She also added that she enjoys the environment and her course modules in NYP; she has more freedom in poly and sufficient time to study on her own, enabling her to be independent instead of relying too much on her teachers.

Amira believes that freshmen will always face challenges in any polytechnic due to the change in environment. Therefore, she strongly recommends PFP to her juniors and future secondary 4 N(A) students. Like Ryan, she feels that PFP is advantageous and a great stepping stone towards studies in Year 1.

To end off, Amira left us with an inspirational quote: “In life, you’ll stumble upon challenges that will try to bring you down one way or another but I think it is important to face these challenges with your head held high and heart wide open.”

By Germaine Leow, Year 0, PFP

Alongside her interests in writing and photography, Germaine aims to provide the best campus updates during her 4 years in NYP. With a Mass Media Management Diploma waiting for her at the end of her polytechnic journey, she promised herself to never forget the importance of hard work, for God gives the hardest battles to his strongest soldiers.

Exams are finally over and the term break has started. So how do we spend our term break productively and not waste our time away? Here are 10 ways to make efficient use of your term break:

1)Sports

Ever felt passionate about certain sports that you always wanted to try out but just could not because of your busy schedule? Since term break is here and there are no classes, use this chance to try out sports you have always wanted to try out, be it football, badminton, squash or anything else. NYP’s sports facilities are available throughout the term break, so grab this chance to try out a sporting activity!

2)Learning a new skill

It can be anything. Be it learning a new language, photography or playing a musical instrument. Anything that makes you feel happy or something you always wanted to try out but just do not have the time for. Now is the time to pick it up!

3)Read a book

As quoted by Dr Seuss, “the more that you read, the more things you know, the more you learn, the more places you go”.

Why not select a book with your favourite genre or author and immerse yourself in the world of knowledge and fantasy.

4)Doing a part time job

For those who need some pocket money for the next semester, or those who simply have nothing to do, finding a part time job does not just kill time but also helps you to gain working experience. This is something we can’t learn from our text books, and you’ll get paid too! So earn as you learn!

5)Helping out with household chores

How often are we able to help our parents with household chores when we are busy studying in the campus? This term break serves as a good chance to help out with house hold chores. Be it washing your dishes or just clearing the bin, even a little help will be much appreciated by your parents!

6)Travel to other countries

With our packed schedule in school, it is hard for us to travel overseas during our school term. But right now is a good time to travel overseas to experience another country’s culture and what it has to offer.

In addition, you will also get to visit iconic landmarks in other countries, try out their cuisine and learn about their history.

7)Visit places in Singapore

If your finances are tight, then why not try exploring Singapore? Singapore has a lot more to offer than you think. For nature lovers, there is Gardens by the Bay, for beach lovers there is Sentosa. There is even a museum for stamps (Singapore philatelic museum) and a Toy Museum and the Peranakan Museum!

8)Read up on next semester’s modules

For those who are nervous about the upcoming semester, it is a good idea to know what modules you will be learning for the upcoming semester and start reading up on the subjects. Not only will you get a head start, you will also have a clearer idea of what is going on in lectures and tutorials.

9)Spending quality time with friends and family

This term break also serves as a time for us to catch up with our friends and family. With our busy schedules in school, we do not usually have time to have dinner or spend quality time with our family.

When we meet our friends in campus, do we know what is going on in their lives? We are usually too busy with projects and studies to really talk to them. Use this term break to get to know your friends on a personal level and spend time with your family.

10)Just do…. Nothing

Yes, let us not forget what the term break is for. Rest, take this opportunity to get plenty of rest and recharge for the next “stressful” semester to come and you will perform better with ample rest.

Keep your schedules light, spend some alone time, not thinking of school work. Put your phone away and truly rest, or stare at some scenery.

After all, when do we have time to do this when school begins?
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So what are your thoughts? Are these productive ways to spend one’s term break? Feel free to share with us how you will spend your term break!

By Christopher Teo Yu Yuan, Diploma in Medicinal Chemistry

A smile is a curve that sets things straight.

Winning the coveted championship title for NYP Jam! 2015 might’ve been their highlight of the year, but we spoke to the winners, Velonza Michah Jomille Laza (NYP Jam! 2015 NYP Champion) and Tiara Maimun Iskandar (NYP Jam! 2015 Secondary School Champion), to find out their biggest takeaway from the competition.

NYP Jam! 2015 NYP Champion

Velonza Michah Jomille Laza (middle in picture)

School of Engineering

A final year student studying for her Diploma in Digital & Precision Engineering, Michah’s NYP Jam! journey was riddled with obstacles – from nearly missing the registration deadline, to recovering from tonsillitis the day before the finals. Subscribing to the mantra “Quitters never win, and winners never quit”, Michah is a determined soul that never backs away from challenges.

Although she started singing since she was in nursery, Michah only discovered her passion when she was in primary 4. Of course, choosing SoundCard (NYP’s singing group) as her CCA was only natural – where friends and fellow CCAmates had encouraged her to join NYP Jam!.

As a seasoned singer, Michah knows how to please the crowd. By picking upbeat tunes like Beyonce’s ‘Crazy In Love’ to get the audience moving, and sentimental songs like Adele’s ‘Set Fire To The Rain’, she wow-ed the judges with her display of emotions and vocal range.

Even though Michah says that her parents are her biggest supporters, she admitted that she would rather not have them around during the competition for fear of disappointing them. “I convinced them not to [come] by saying that I would be more nervous,” shares Michah. “[But] I draw strength from them through their love and positive attitude.”

Michah advises those who are thinking of joining NYP Jam! to simply take a leap of faith, “To be honest, winning NYP Jam! was not the best part – it’s knowing who is really there for you and who are the people who really believe in you.”

NYP Jam! 2015 Secondary School Champion

Tiara Maimun Iskandar

St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School

Inspired by singer-songwriter Sam Smith, Tiara constantly seeks ways to give back to the community as an active music youth ambassador for nEbO (a subsidiary of NTUC) and World Vision Singapore. “[Sam Smith] is an incredibly talented man, yet a humble philanthropist,” shares Tiara. “He is known for his generous donations and charity works. [I hope to] give back to community, be it in music or voluntary works.”

She first heard about NYP Jam! from her mom, who encouraged her to participate. With her mother’s support, along with her teachers and music instructors, Tiara developed the confidence and positivity that took her through the competition.

When commenting about her biggest takeaway from NYP Jam!, Tiara comments: “I no longer get disheartened or overwhelmed by stress. In fact, I have learnt how to manage my time and cope with studies, music and leisure.”

The experience of competing at this year’s NYP Jam! gave her a great impression of NYP, “It has a good balance of arts and academic choices offered.” She urges future contestants to seize the opportunity to discover a hidden talent, and to not undermine their own abilities.

Inspired by Michah and Tiara? Go on your own music adventure with NYP Jam! and sign up at www.nyp.edu.sg/nypjam now! Be innovative and enterprising, choose your own adventure at the NYP Open House from 7 to 9 Jan 2016!

Published in the Oct 2015 Issue of Teenage Magazine. Reproduced with Permission.

My lecturer confirmed last Friday that I had failed my industrial placement module for year 3 semester 1.

This revelation had actually lifted much anxiety that had been weighing me down ever since I began my supplementary attachment. I had been feeling insecure over my industrial placement grade, thinking of how badly I had done. There was even a side of me that hoped that my grade would miraculously be good. At least now, the truth has come knocking: I can conclude that I had flunked.

Despite my failings, I was thankful my lecturers did not give up on me. They believed that there was potential in me to do better. And this was why they decided to give me a second chance by letting me undertake a supplementary placement.

Initially, I felt rather apprehensive about this supplementary placement, as it would be my final shot at proving my calibre as a social worker- if I don’t get my act up, it would sadly indicate that I wasn’t suited for this profession. Knowing that this was the last chance I had to prove my worth, I went all out. I had to push myself to get equipped with the adequate skill sets for this profession. The time had come for me to stop being a “client”. I had to step up to show my competencies as a social worker.

As it turned out, repeating this industrial placement module happened to be one of the best things that has ever happened to me! The challenges I encountered were no doubt daunting, but they were just what I needed to learn and grow in my pursuit of the vocation I am called into.

In an attempt to redeem myself, I was, in a way, “coerced” to learn to do things right.

During my previous placements, I made some serious errors regarding my written assignment and daily journals. My misinterpretation of the task requirement led me to the wrong approach, which resulted in me being heavily penalised, one of the main reasons why I failed.

My daily journals used to be filled with egocentric narratives about my experiences, thoughts, opinions, and immature “preachings”. To make things worse I so naively believed they would enable me to do well and wrote up to 10 times more words than the required word limit. The truth was, I lacked professionalism: the world doesn’t revolve around me.

Using a particular friend’s journal entries as reference, I was struck by the level of critical thinking professionals should have in their journal entries. Though writing in this manner was not something I was comfortable with, I needed to alter my narrow worldview to excel in this profession. I forced myself to step out of my comfort zone, I was determined not to repeat the same mistakes.

To get adequate content for my daily reflections, I asked more questions and took the initiative to offer my assistance whenever possible, leading me to gain more insights and new experiences.

Through a meeting with one of the lecturers, I learnt that I had made a grave mistake in the way I wrote my written assignment. Similarly to my journal, I had written it in the form of a “diary entry”.

Ashamed by my ignorance, and in my desperate need to do well in my written assignment, I started to inquire more whenever there were opportunities. The new internship environment I was placed in was highly supportive. Colleagues provided me with deeper insights on the application of theories and professional strategies I could use in my written assignment. Furthermore, I learnt to do referencing for the first time, which was something I had been excusing myself from all this while.

Repeating this placement not only helped me to develop more professionally in terms of my writing, it enabled me to break away from my own narrow minded assumptions of how things should be, opening my eyes to how professionals in the social work sector work.

On a more personal level, this attachment brought a paradigm shift to my perceived ideas about what I can achieve. Often focused on my physical and cognitive impediments, I would set limitations on what i can do. Admittedly, I often allow the fear of failure to inhibit me from trying.

However, this time it was urgent. I could not continue to be insecure, unless I wanted to be disqualified from ever becoming a social worker. Thus, I acceded to whatever was required of me, which included lugging my heavy laptop all the way to and from office, and staying late at night for the night shift.

Not only did I have to carry my heavy and bulky materials for work to office, I took around 1 hour to travel per direction. Hence, the fatigue of traveling often overwhelmed me before I even started work. Moreover, I would arrive before 9 am and leave after 9 pm at least once a week! For anyone, this tiresome lifestyle would be so draining already. It was even more exhausting for me, someone who is so flawed in terms of cognitive and physical abilities.

Regardless of the difficulties of this supplementary placement, I simply strived, taking on whatever came my way… and I am proud to say: I did it!

Now as I look back, I am glad I challenged myself. I could make those milestones after all! The improvements were only made possible because I dared to try. I found sufficient courage to give myself this chance largely because I wanted to surpass my limitations.

Surely, this experience indicates that I can certainly expect more from myself. As the days go by, I'm getting stronger and the things I can handle have improved tremendously. I just have to believe in myself, that I can achieve little but nonetheless significant milestones to my eventual success.

Failures are an unavoidable part of life, whether we like it or not. But they can also be opportunities for growth when we embrace them. At times, the defeat may be crushing to our souls. Nevertheless, we are invited to regain our foothold and use failures as stepping stones to success.

For me, this failure is akin to a door to hone my abilities for my future, which helped me to develop in ways I never would have imagined.

By Matthew Tan Ser Yung, Diploma in Social Science (Social Work)

Ms Chia (extreme right, in red) with her students

It may be the term-break for most students, but most lecturers are already busy planning lessons for the next semester. Ms Karen Chia from the School of Business Management (SBM) is no exception. She is a personal mentor to her class MK1321 - Diploma in Marketing, and also lectures on “Entrepreneurship and International Business”, a module that is infamous for being one of the most challenging of the SBM modules. Having been with NYP for 11 years, her passion towards her students and teaching has not withered since Day One.

“My students are the main reason I love coming to work, and I find teaching and interacting with them the most exciting part of my day. I have had many batches who have graduated and still keep in touch,” says Ms Chia fondly.

She credits the 3 R’s for her strong connection with her students.

“The first R is ‘Relate’. Trying to relate to whatever triumphs or problems your students go through is important, especially to them. I don’t see myself as their superior, and it definitely helps them open up,” Ms Chia said.

“Number 2 is being ‘Real’, as teachers, sometimes we have to put up our guard so as to not mix our professional and personal lives together. I would try to create a bond without any interference, so they would be able to share their problems with me,” Ms Chia added.

The third R that Ms Chia mentioned is ‘Respect’, where she draws the line both in school and in a personal context, and ensures there is always a certain amount of mutual respect. It is important to her that a student never steps out of bounds in any context.

“See the gem in every student. If you only see the flaws, you’ll be blinded,” she said.

Ms Chia is deeply passionate about all her students, even if they are written off by others.

An example of such a student is Shawn Loo, whom Ms Chia describes as the poster-boy for SBM. He was a student for who, lecturers always had complaints, but made a remarkable turn-around, and became an entrepreneur, creating the company Gold Plus Fuels.

Her passion towards her students seems apparent whenever she describes experiences with her students, such as sending her students for a recent external marketing competition.

“They were shortlisted in that competition, and it makes me very happy to see them working hard,” expressed Ms Chia.

However, she had one of the most challenging experiences as a personal mentor, when her mentee passed away due to a heart-attack. It was such a shock for her class which were preparing for their exams.

“The whole class went down for the funeral of their friend, and they were really emotional. As an adult I did not know it would affect them this much until I received calls from them. So, I booked rooms for everyone to study and support each other whilst they prepared for their exams,” explained Ms Chia.

The class eventually made it through the exams, and the experience further strengthened their bond with their personal mentor.

Ms Chia is a personal mentor who manages to maintain the special bond with her students even after they have graduated for many years. SBM students, do keep a lookout for her, and who knows, she might just be your mentor next year!

By Nasruddin Islam Bin Ramli, Diploma in Electronics, Computer & Communications Engineering

Nanyang Polytechnic hosted students from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Vietnam, who visited Singapore on a cultural exchange trip, where they learned about health-care science, animation and interactive design.

Ms Dao Nguyen Nhat Huynh, Mr Vo Luu Tuan Minh, and Mr Nguyen Phuc Quynh Chau , students from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology came forth, and shared their 3-weeks experience in Nanyang Polytechnic and Singapore. The facilities in NYP were what impressed them the most when asked about their experience in NYP, as there are not many labs back home in their university. They also provide for good contextual teaching and learning.

“There are a lot of labs here in NYP, which help us apply what we have learnt through books, most of the time we would just memorize this stuff, with very little time actually handling them. Also, the facilities such as canteen, and library make it very good and easy to learn”, said Huynh, the only girl amongst the three students.

Minh added that the campus is a very vibrant, which provides forgood learning experiences, thus allowing for more creativity from its students.

Chao agreed, and said, “ The colorful campus environment adds that feeling of being able to be creative, which is really different from what we have, we are expected to work hard and follow the book. We have to memorize before every examinations, over here, there is more importance placed on application.”

When asked about the differences in the culture of education between Singapore and Vietnam, all three had to agree that the student-teacher relationship here is the major difference when compared with what they have back in Vietnam.

Students were given a behind-the-scenes look at how NYP's brand of education creates innovative and enterprising graduates.

“There is a very strong relationship between student and teacher, which is not what Vietnamese students would be used to. In Vietnam, the student’s interaction towards the teacher must be of high respect, as one would respect an elder.” Chao explained.

“In Singapore, the mindset is very open, where everyone hugs each other, and speaks their mind. Whereas, in Vietnam, it is not something people see often.” Huynh added.

Mr Adrian Chua , Assistant Manager/ School of Interactive & Digital Media , explains how students brings their projects to life.

Minh, nodded and agreed, but mentioned, “This is where, maybe, students are able to learn more, because they are more curious, and are bold enough to ask a lot of questions.”

The trait that Singaporean students have which impresses them the most, is how vocal they are in expressing their ideas, and also, each and every Singaporean student’s confidence to take the lead in any given situation. And, they were surprised that there is a module in the curriculum for confidence and leading.

“In Vietnam, ‘to be able to take the lead’ is something that you are born with, not something that can be taught. In Singapore, it takes a very different approach to creating leaders.” Chao expressed.

“However, this is something that would take time to cultivate back in Vietnam, as the requirements of leadership is of a very different style from Singapore’s, which is more vocal. A Vietnamese, whose culture is more quiet and reserved, tend to be less vocal, but still maintains his or her ability to lead.” Minh added.

Next was a discussion with Mrs. Tran Thi Phuc on a teacher’s perspective of the cultural exchange programme that her students went through. There was a very thick, and familiar book she was holding; “Lee Kuan Yew’s: from third world to the first.”

When asked about the book, she mentioned it was one of the many things that the people of Vietnam respect in South-Est Asia, and that Vietnam can learn a lot from the ideas of the late Mr. Lee. The conversation then went back to the topic at hand, which is the benefits or learning experience that a student from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology might have experienced on this trip.

“The opportunity to learn communication skills, and team work is something that we do not have in Vietnam. It is something that would be able to help, maybe, the shy students, with great ideas to share with everyone around them.” Ms. Phuc said

The students, and teacher, both mentioned communication and their respect towards Singapore’s education system in churning out creative and confident students who are able to present their ideas in a professional manner. She said, “In Vietnam, education is the key to success, and that leads to focusing more on books and exam papers. For Singapore, however, it is also part of giving back to society and helping the nation. The positive sign is our student’s eagerness to be able to learn from our Singaporean counterparts, on how to be able to help society through education.”

The exchange programme has helped both NYP students and students from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology to learn from each other. And, Ms. Phuc hopes that there are more opportunities such as this in the future.

From left to right: Ms. Dao Nguyen Nhat Huynh, and Mr. Vo Luu Tuan Minh, and Mr. Nguyen Phuc Quynh Chau with their teacher Mrs. Tran Thi Phuc.

By Nasruddin Islam Bin Ramli, Diploma in Electronics, Computer & Communications Engineering

Photo credit: Jade Teo

Just about anyone can volunteer to aid the less fortunate, but would he/she be willing to do so for 18 years?

Ms Sherlyn Khong (pictured above) has been motivated to help since her first trip to the Philippines when she was 22 and, has even founded a non-profit organisation (NGO) called “acts29”.
Since then, the NYP alumnus, who has an IT diploma, has continued to travel to Payatas in Quezon City, Philippines’ biggest open dumpsite, with other volunteers, to aid the community living around it.

“Education is our main aim because that’s the most important thing,” said Ms Khong, a part-time tutor, who also doles out scholarships to children through her NGO.

“It’s not about studying for the sake of studying, they study for a purpose.”

Acts29 projects, such as Dream Beyond the Dumpsite, are field trips that let the children of Patayas see beyond their community. Missionaries work directly with a school for the poor to provide free non-formal education for the children living there.

Ms Khong has also taught the children how to use common applications like Microsoft and YouTube. Though she said it in jest, she does wish the Internet speed would be a lot faster.

She told The Write Stuff: “I think there are so many ways to help… So we’re very happy when people and students from Singapore come over to teach.”

Those living in developed countries like Singapore can help even if they can’t travel. For example, they could always make videos or lesson plans. For Ms Khong, she takes a very hands-on and spontaneous approach, if the students are preparing for college, she would set aside time to help them with English essay writing.

St Joseph’s Institution students conducting tutorials in Payatas. Photo credit: acts29

But according to her, there isn’t enough content material or subjects being taught in the schools to prepare them for university, so “the whole village is now struggling” to learn basic subjects, such as trigonometry.

She observed: “It depends on the skill set of the volunteers. If we have a geography teacher, she teaches geography; if we have someone who cooks, then perhaps he/she will work with families to teach them how to prepare nutritious dishes.”

The Payatas community lives around a 12 to 13 storeys’ height of trash, which is about 3 years’ worth of rubbish collected from metro Manila.

“Just imagine instead of having Ang Mo Kio Central, it’s a mountain of rubbish,” said Ms Khong.

The people who live there are mainly squatters and they live in makeshift houses of about 10-20 square metres. The people build them with anything they find, from cardboard to galvanised sheets or wood, and they are as high as two-storeys.

Scavengers at work on the dumpsite. Photo credit: Sherlyn Khong

“With a lot of the kids we work with, they don’t necessarily differentiate what’s trash and what’s not trash, because everything has value.”

Their parents usually work as scavengers for 12-hour shifts at the dumpsite, so they try to gather about five to eight gunnysacks worth of “goods” before going down to the junk shops to turn in their gatherings and collect their payment.

Unfortunately at the end of the day, “a scavenger could be taking home less than 100 pesos, that would be S$3 or less” and it’s barely enough to survive considering the average family size is about six.

“So it helps them if everyone works, so there’s more money. But that means that the kids drop out of school at 10,” said Ms Khong.

“So our work there is to really work with the scavenging families, support (them) and make sure their 10- and 11-year-olds stay on and go to school, and that can be another challenge. When children work alongside their parents, they see their parents working, and the environment is such that everyone else is working, and they don’t see the point in studying,” she explained.

Ms Khong is a strong believer in the benefits that education can bring, especially for those who can’t afford to go to school.

She believes the children feel that it’s their moral obligation to work and they can’t see far into their future. She remarked that they are often planning for the next day; and don’t see that they would be earning more if the graduate at 24-years-old, enough to buy a proper house for their parents.

And although many think this way, there are some children who know they have a future if they study.

One of Ms Khong’s most touching moments was many years ago, when she met Julian Donaire, who was 17 or 18 at the time.

A scholar from Payatas teaching kids to read. Photo credit: Sherlyn Khong

She said: “He shared with me his story: his parents had abandoned him and he was left with his grandmother. They moved to the dumpsite to stay. At 10-years-old his grandma passed away, so he was all alone.”

Julian had made his own squatter home, a very small room for himself; and he worked at the dumpsite to support himself. He promised himself that he would get an education, so he went to the School for Humanity. This is a non-formal school providing alternative learning for out-of-school kids and teens.

Since 10, he’s been going to that school to learn to read and write. He eventually qualified for Maritime Engineering and he graduated.

Today he’s in his 30s and has a beautiful family, and they’re still living in Payatas.

At the activity centre, scholars and street kids come in to read on Saturdays.

Photo credit: Sherlyn Khong

22th September 2015 was the day our results were released. That had brought about different feelings from NYP students living all around Singapore. If you received the results you wished for, that is great. However, if you have received results that did not meet your expectations, then keep working harder and think of better methods to improve your grades.

But no matter what your grades were, what matters is that you come to terms with it.
If you realized that you have made mistakes with the way you have been approaching your studies, then, start over. There is no point in beating oneself up or blaming others.

Here are some pointers that could help you achieve better results!

1) Cast aside feelings of regret or self-inferiority because the past is over

Negative thoughts will not help you. There are many opportunities for everyone, and even if there are only a few opportunities, you should still go for them and advance yourself!

It is never over, until you believe it is. Take every day as a chance to improve yourself. Humans are capable of anything as long as they do not give up.

2) Make sure you understand the topics in your lecture notes

Time spent in lectures and tutorials is precious. If you want to improve your grades, then instead of completing another module’s tutorial during class, using your phone, chit-chatting with your friends, or even daydreaming, start by really doing the right thing at the right time and focusing.

Always take your classes seriously. Come prepared for lectures and tutorials.

3) Diligently complete your tutorials and revise what you have learnt when you are home

This allows you to have a head start compared to others who may put revision off until exam time. It is much better than trying to cramp everything into your head during exam preparation period.

However, this is a long process that requires discipline. There are students who can do it, and so can you.

Discipline is a choice you make. There is no such thing as two people being born with different amounts of discipline. Everyone has 24 hours every day, question is: what are you doing with yours?

4) Ask for help when you are unclear and make sure you become clear of things.

Students can always approach their lecturers for help

Ask, ask, ask! The quickest way is to ask. Use your voice and ask. Ask your friends, your classmates, your tutors, and even the people you do not like in your class, as long as they are willing to help you.

There is nothing wrong with not knowing something or being a slow-learner. Even people who are smarter than you ask. And smart people ask, because they know if they do not, they will not learn.

Ask and make sure you learn from it.

5) Drive yourself to study

Motivate yourself to study. Even better, influence your friends to study as well. Use your fear, desire, ambition, friends, or even your parents to motivate you.

Engrave it in your head and your heart, especially if it’s the fear of failing or disappointing yourself or your family. Do not allow those thoughts to take over and overwhelm you, but keep them in mind.
Even if you only study for 30 minutes a day, it is still an achievement. Keep studying and increasing the duration of your studying.

All in all, though results and GPA matter, don’t forget to have fun too!

Sometimes, it may seem like hard work is pointless, but most of the time, it really pays off and comes with great rewards. Keep believing in yourself!

With that, I hope that these 5 tips would help you in the coming semester.

By Sharlene Tan, Diploma in Fund Management & Administration

“The strongest hearts are the ones that have been broken.”

Setbacks are unavoidable in life, but what matters is picking yourself up.☺ Being one of the new members of The Write Stuff, Sharlene Tan is on her amazing journey to living life fulfilled.

Her family and friends are the ones who have kept her going, and they mean the world to her.

One of the highlights of 2015’s second semester for the campus would be the newly opened D’Studio. Not only is it spacious and aesthetically pleasing, it is also located at the heart of the campus (Block A, level 2), right next to Cheers. This mini shopping area offers a varied range of merchandise including fashion apparels for both genders, accessories, make-up products, electronics, sportswear and equipment, collectibles and NYP’s very own wearables and accessories. Be it for birthdays or even festive occasions like Christmas, the variety of merchandise sold might just make it the perfect place for you to get your gift shopping done!

For Him

Here we have a range of different printed t-shirts sold at the price of $15. Almost everyone owns at least one printed t-shirt. It may be a souvenir you bought or a shirt with a great design, printed tees are amongst the most common apparels. Have a friend who always dons a printed tee to school? Drop by D’Studio and get him one more. It may not be anything extravagant or fanciful but at least you can be sure he will put it to good use. Not forgetting, the soft and light material is simply perfect for Singapore’s weather. From simple prints to vintage and grunge patterns, you’ll be sure to find something.

TIP: You can also fork out a few more dollars to get him a polo t-shirt for a smarter look.

If you’re feeling generous and a t-shirt is not enough, you may want to consider getting him a snapback (hat) to match, also priced at $15. There are several different designs available, and you can pick one to match the shirt or your friend’s personality.

If you want to opt for a “classier” gift, you could waltz over to the perfume and cologne section. I took a whiff and I must say, the scents smell pretty good for an affordable price of $19. You could play around with the different colognes and get your friend one you think would suit him or her. If your friend is a classmate you see on a daily basis, then get him or her a scent that you adore, so you and everyone in class gets a whiff of the aroma!

Have a friend you often see at the gym? Here’s a gift you know will never go unused. Your sporty friend will greatly appreciate a new pair of training shorts or a dri-fit shirt he could slip on before heading to the gym. The various sports outfits are priced under $30. It may help to cheer your friend on during his training – we all know how tiring it can get at times. Or you could buy it for yourself to motivate yourself to work out. Here’s to a fitter lifestyle!

For Her

There are many types of perfumed hand cream from The Face Shop at D’Studio. The hand cream comes in many different flavours. Just like how different each and every one of our friends are, you could get one for your pal who fancies fruity scents to one who prefers nutty, vanilla scents. At only $5.90, this gift is value for money too!

Some girls will always be little girls at heart. If your friend is too old for dolls, you may want to get her a doll to suit her age – perfume that comes in a bottle shaped like a doll. Each bottle of perfume has its own distinct scent and even a human name, like Lily and Niki. If your friend shares the same name, you could get her a perfume version of herself. Imagine Lily receiving a perfume bottled doll named Lily - that would be cute! It is pretty pricey at $49 though!

A little tight on budget? The Kimmi Fragrance collection comes in mini sizes selling at $15. Yes, there is a gift for everybody!

It is your fashionista friend’s birthday coming up. Should you get a top or a bottom or… both? Fret not, trendy one-piece outfits are on sale at D’Studio. It could be a casual romper for a day at school or a mini dress for a girl’s night out. This gift saves you the trouble of getting two pieces.

It is common to worry about whether or not your friend will like what you picked out. However, you can never go wrong with black and white apparels. These are the staple colours of every wardrobe, definitely a safe option! Though the colours are monochromatic, the designs are widely differentiated, and you will be able to find the right one to bring out the curves of your beloved friend.

Buying gifts for a bunch of friends or looking for unique items to add to your Christmas goodie bags? Here are some scented soap pieces shaped into cute things like owls and sunflowers. The best part -- these are all handmade!

Unisex Gifts

One gift you’ll never go wrong with? Socks. It does not matter what design your socks are since they will be covered. Chances are, your friend may need a pair of clean socks after a week of delayed laundry. Know of a sneakerhead? You might want to get him or her a few pairs of socks to go with their collection of sneakers. Ranging from popular cartoon character to plain colour designs, there’s a pair of socks for everyone!

These are different coloured earpieces arranged in the shape of a musical note. As you can see in the picture above, there is a wide variety of colours available. Teenagers are often seen listening to music on their way to school and back. Getting your friends a pair of earphones in their favourite colour would make their journey to and from school a lot more enjoyable.

This concludes my list of great gifts – both affordable and suitable – you can get at NYP’s very own D’Studio. If you still can’t find anything appropriate, grab a balloon that reads “Happy Birthday” on your way to class! Happy shopping!

By Germaine Leow, Year 0, PFP

So the first semester did not go so well; you struggled with some modules, did not enjoy your group projects, student life, and were burned out at the end of the semester. Now that the long awaited semester break has come to an end, here are some tips on how to lead a more fulfilling semester!

TIP 1: Enjoy Your Learning

There is a saying that goes: If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. It is probably impossible to enjoy cramming boring notes into your head, but what you can do to make it a little easier is to try to truly understand the lesson concepts and challenge yourself. If you can grasp the concepts and learn something new every day, that’s something you should be proud of.

TIP 2: Learn to accept each other’s differences.

Indeed, good grades are not achieved solely by acing the exams. Group projects are almost mandatory in every course and disagreements between group members are inevitable, be they in school or at work in the future. Teamwork plays a huge part in producing good results as a group – a fact that is personally tried and tested!

The key to harmony in your teams?

1) Know that everyone is different.
2) Accept it
3) Work towards a result everyone is pleased with.

You may not like your classmate’s idea or vice versa; chances are there might be a better idea out there waiting for your group to discover!

TIP 3: Rid the procrastination!

One thing all students deal with is deadlines. Some can be dated months away or at the end of the week. The first step to better time management would be to eliminate procrastination. Getting started on a project early means no harm. Finishing it earlier also means more free time!

TIP 4: Need help? Get help!

Undeniably, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. One may be doing superb at a particular module but terribly in another. No big deal, just seek help from your lecturers or tutors once you have doubts. Do not let your doubts snowball for you may end up pretty confused.

If you do not feel comfortable approaching your lecturer, give your classmate a little nudge and ask for help. As the saying goes, “When one teaches, two learn.”

TIP 5: Spend a little time getting to know your friends better

School life should not just be about “Hi” and “Bye” and doing group projects. Spend some time getting to know your classmates better, and having lunch with them, and listening to them. You may find some areas of mutual interest, and by building bonds, you can also help each other out in times of need.

TIP 6: Getting sufficient sleep is the way to go!

A good night’s rest is a lot more important than it seems. Many of us stay up till late at night to complete last minute homework, resulting in us walking to class groggily the next morning. We then sleep through the boring lectures. Not only do we pay less attention to the lessons, our health deteriorates as well. The absolute nightmare would be to fall ill during the examination period. So rest well every night, I know you’d want to.

TIP 7: Stressed? Take a breather

Our stress level increases as the assignments pile up. Eliminate stress and you will find yourself studying with ease. Everyone has different ways to release stress. Google “stress management tips” and find one to suit your special self, be it catching a drama show every day or taking a good ole’ shower.

TIP 8: Work hard, play hard

Cliché we know. The danger in following this piece of advice is that sometimes we tend to overdo it and play a little too hard. Discipline yourself by setting your work goals first, and your play goals as a reward.

For example, if you managed to commit to 3 hours of studying each morning, then you can take the afternoon off to spend time with friends. Sounds good?

TIP 9: Learn about yourself and learn a lot better

Find out what your learning style is – visual, auditory or kinaesthetic (tactile). If you are a visual learner like myself, tables and mind maps do wonders for you. Even if you do not fit under the given categories of the different learning styles, fret not. Just find a method you are comfortable with and that may increase productivity.

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Though there is no guarantee these tips will work like a charm but if you don’t try, you will never know.

Here’s to a better semester!

By Germaine Leow, PFP

Growing up with the trauma of being chased by a dog and scratched by a cat, I always frowned upon pet owners. However, two students I met at school changed my mind about the takeaways and joys of being a pet owner.
…………………………………………

Meet Ashley Toh, 19, from the Diploma in Social Sciences (Social Work), an owner of not one, not two… but FIVE cats!

Her earliest significant memory of cats was witnessing a deceased cat on her way to kindergarten.
“It made me so sad and it stuck with me for quite a while.”

Just when we thought that gruesome first encounter would keep her eschewed from cats forever, the reverse happened. She became interested in the feline community and fostered her first cat at the tender age of seven.

“The first cat I met that I would later adopt was born in my garden in 2003. My family was watching a movie, when we heard meowing outside. We found four kittens, but left them alone as we had no experience caring for cats,” she said. “They disappeared after a while, but their mother left one behind. Not sure why either. In the end we decided to take him in and we named him Alvis.”

Ashley’s first adopted cat, Alvis

Ashley’s affinity with cats did not end with that.

About a year after Alvis was accepted into the family, the gardener in charge of her estate brought a tiny kitten over and asked if the family would like to take him in. They agreed, and the next day the gardener brought another one over!

“They were the same size and immediately took to each other so we knew they were siblings from the same litter. We named the boy Bobo and the girl Chacha.”

Bobo (right) and ChaCha (left)

One day, Ashley’s mother noticed a stray cat following her around while she was doing her marketing. She thought that the cat needed a home, thus she put it into a box and brought her home.

“We subsequently found the cat’s breed was Siamese, so we named her Lili.”

Lili

Another cat the family took in just started hanging around outside Ashley’s house.

“We started feeding him and got him sterilised. He was very affectionate and friendly so one day we just opened our door. He walked right in, and never left. We named him Tohby.”

Meet Tohby!

After 7 years, Alvis, Ashley’s first cat, was eventually given to her mother’s friend as a companion for her cat.

Thus, Ashley’s last and youngest cat is Meimei. She got her in Jan 2013 from a lady who takes in stray cats.

Meimei

Taking care of five different cats requires Ashley to meet the individual needs of each cat. As a cat owner for more than a decade, she understands that all cats have different personalities, so the attention they require varies. With enthusiasm, she elaborates about the different needs of her cats.

“Bobo and Meimei tend to seek more affection from me. Meimei is usually the one to wake me up by biting my toes and snuggling up to me in the mornings. Bobo will sit on my lap while I study, have meals or watch TV. As long as I'm sitting somewhere in the house, Bobo will be close by.”

Bobo “learning” together with Ashley

"Tohby literally follows my mum around the house, and Chacha is the one who will start meowing if she thinks my mum is staying up too late. Lili is mostly content on her own, but she's always close to us when we watch TV or use the computer.”

There was a period of time when Ashley’s mum was not working and was active in caring for the neighborhood cats that wandered into their garden. They would actively trap strays and bring them to the vet to be neutered, which is important in population control and for the well being of the cat.

The cats that appeared suitable for adoption would be named and put up for adoption on the Cat Welfare Society adoption page. In the meantime, the cats would be toilet trained, and get used to being called by name, and learn to be comfortable in interacting with other cats at her home.

People interested in adopting a cat would undergo strict interviews by her mum. Together with her mother, Ashley would pay the potential adopters visits to check the state and safety of their homes before allowing them to adopt the cat. This procedure is mandatory for them, since they are both committed to helping the stray cats find an appropriate and permanent home.

“It was tiring and sometimes stressful for both us and our cats, but being able to help these cats find permanent homes was worth the time, money and effort.”

Contrary to my presumptions, keeping cats is never seen as a burden or distraction for Ashley, whose academic excellence had allowed her to be in the Director’s list award for every semester, an award for the top 5% of the cohort for the semester.

“Having cats is not about just doing it till you're sick of it - pets are for life.”

She is also thankful for having a supportive mother who would join in the venture of taking care of her five beautiful cats.

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My other Diploma in Social Sciences classmate, Yap Su Chii, 19, has chosen to care for a dog. She first received Xiao Hei as a puppy from a family friend.

“When i first received Xiao Hei, he was only 2 months old and I could hold him in one hand! To be honest, I wasn’t very attached to him at the beginning, it was hard for me. I was only 9 years old at the time,” she said.

10 years on, the two of them have become inseparable. They have forged a profound and ineffable bond.

“I like how similar he is to me in terms of our personality. People who have met him always comment on how quiet and calm he is. In a way, he is so much a reflection of me. When I look into his eyes, he just looks so wise and genuine.”

Su Chii is very dedicated to taking care of Xiao Hei. She spends her Saturdays cleaning his cage, bathing him, and making him fresh food. Maintaining his health and grooming is also a constant requirement so she takes special care to make sure he does not get fleas and ticks or fall sick.

“If I had the choice, I would do everything with him. I would bring him to school every day, I would bring him on holidays, I would bring him shopping! But sadly that is not allowed! What I do now is to walk him around the neighborhood where he may meet his friends, or bring him on car rides to dog cafes. I also host dog parties around my neighborhood, knowing that he likes the company of other dogs.”

Su Chii, at the centre of the picture, grinning from ear to ear

Su Chii also enjoys spending time relaxing with him in the living room. As Xiao Hei is now an elderly dog, he may leave Su Chii very soon. Su Chii wants to treasure every moment she has left with Xiao Hei.

The pair enjoying each other’s company

“His eyes are getting cloudy and soon, everything is going to deteriorate. I constantly worry about losing him.” I also try to keep him as healthy physically and mentally to slow down the process of ageing by feeding him homemade dog food and supplements,” she emphasized.

According to Su Chii, Xiao Hei was around at every milestone in her life. It is hard for her to think that someday he would not be around.

“The love that I have experienced with him is the purest, most unconditional love I have ever had. Our dogs really see us as their entire world. To come home every day to the sight of him makes me so happy. He taught me to be compassionate, to love indiscriminately and that is the most important life lesson I will ever learn,” she said. “Although my time with him is running out, I just want him to live out the rest of his life happy and healthy. Knowing his life was spent meaningfully is all that I ask for.”

By Matthew Tan Ser Yung, Diploma in Social Sciences (Social Work)

Education doesn’t stop at the diploma level. Read about how Kong Ren Hwai, Diploma in Nanotechnology & Materials Science alumnus built a strong foundation at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) to further his education.

When you get excited and intrigued about the invention of new materials like carbon nano rod and composite materials, Nanotechnology & Materials Science might just be your cup of tea. That was why Ren Hwai decided to pursue Diploma in Nanotechnology & Materials Science. He thought he will enjoy studying it and true enough, he did.

Studying in NYP further fuelled Ren Hwai’s interest and curiosity, as he was continually amazed by semiconductor technology and the ability to build transistors that are smaller than the width of a human hair.

After graduation, Ren Hwai decided to study Materials Engineering, specialise in semiconductor, in Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He credits his lecturers in NYP and his industry attachment for his comprehensive knowledge in semiconductors. “I can appreciate the teachings by the professors much better than others,” Ren Hwai comments. “Presentations and group projects in NYP also equipped me with the soft skills needed when I was studying in NTU.”

More importantly, Ren Hwai picked up essential life skills in NYP that helped him adapt well in the dynamic working world. The opportunities he gained when he was in the NYP’s School of Engineering Club developed his endurance and trained him to venture out of his comfort zone to take on different challenges. Ren Hwai is now the process engineer at Micron Semiconductor Asia Pte Ltd where he is in-charge of one of the production processes and takes on projects for improving productivity, quality and cost reduction.

Inspired by his adventure in pursuit of further studies? Be innovative and enterprising, choose your own adventure at NYP Open House from 7 to 9 Jan 2016!

Published in the Jan 2016 Issue of Teenage Magazine. Reproduced with Permission.

Fiona (first row, standing in the middle)

Check out how these Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) students transformed small ideas into big results with their ingenious innovations.

A guilt-free sweet treat? Sounds like a recipe for success. Having previously won the ‘Best New Ice Cream Award’ in 2010 and 2011, NYP continued its winning streak with Mangolina, a dessert that comprises three layers – fresh mango puree, skimmed milk pudding and spirulina bits. Created by four students from NYP’s School of Chemical & Life Sciences and packaged by three students from the School of Design, Mangolina clinched the ‘Best Dairy Dessert Award’ at the 2015 World Dairy Innovation Awards Competition, beating industry bigwigs like Unilever Pte Ltd.

“Our vision is to provide a nutritious treat for the young at heart,” explains Fiona Tan, NYP’s Diploma in Food Science & Nutrition alumna, on behalf of her team. “The unique selling point of our dessert is that we make use of modern molecular gastronomy art to create the spirulina bits. It’s a whole new experience for the palate.”

The baton was then passed to the students from the Diploma in Visual Communication, who came up with a packaging that epitomises the healthy ingredients in Mangolina. “We embarked on this without any expectations and giving nothing but our very best,” states Tong Lin, a member of the team. “NYP provided us a platform to express our talent and flair in design, as well as the support we needed for constant improvement.”

Tong Lin (extreme right)

Elated about the win, Fiona and her team express gratitude to her lecturers in NYP. “This was not the result of a single person’s idea or effort, but the result of everyone’s creativity. Without the guidance from our lecturers, we may not have come up with such a great product.” The team now hopes to introduce Mangolina into the market and share this healthy dessert with everyone.

Have the desire to change the world with your invention? Be innovative and enterprising, choose your own adventure at NYP Open House from 7 to 9 Jan 2016!

Published in the Jan 2016 Issue of Teenage Magazine. Reproduced with Permission.

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A HEALTHY INDULGENCE