Working in the Zoo- the thought of it makes me excited!

Dear dory,

I was looking through the Zoo web site just now. They have this vacancy called "animal keeper" available!

Animal Keeper

Responsibilities:

• Food preparation for the animals
• Feeding of the animals
• Cleaning of the animals and their exhibits and dens
• Conduct landscaping and exhibits improvements
• Implement behavioural enrichment programs for the animals
• Maintain proper records on the animals in your section

Requirements:

• GCE 'O' level and above
• Singaporeans and PRs only
• Male applicants must have completed NS
• Pleasant disposition with good command of English
• Confident, outgoing personality and a team player
• Physically fit
• Training will be provided
• Must be able to work on weekends, Public Holidays and shifts
• May be converted to Permanent if vacancy arises and performance is good
• Long-term commitment is preferred

If you have a passion for wildlife, please download and complete the Animal Keeper Questionnaire and email the questionnaire to recruit@zoo.com.sg

Dory, isn't this exciting! Animals animals animals! Suh doesn't mind being a sai kang warrior for these cute little things! =D  Okay suh, got to get your resume done up nicely by tomorrow, by hook or by crook. Don't let this opportunity slip by, okay?

Oh something funny happened today. Suh went for her FTB outing just now, at Mahattan Fish Market. The girls ordered seafood platter for two, so by right you need some lemon juice to bring out the flavor right. And as a helpful being (always as usual), suh volunteered herself to do the job. While squeezing the  lemon, the cunning lemon decided to perform a high degree stun too entertain its diners-to slip off from suh's hand and then do a 180 degrees turn in the air and follow the projectile moment before landing on my friend. It was simply hilarious, I was totally embarrassed by the incident. =S

Suh

A long overdue post

Dear dory,

Suh apologize for her this post. She needs to update you about her happening, you must be dying of boredom. Sorry!

You must be wondering why suh calls you dory inthis entry. Well, let me explain. Suh just finished reading the book "Anne Frank: Diary of a young girl". In the diary, Anne calls her diary Kitty and faithfully writes a letter to Kitty every few days about the happenings in Secret Annexe(their hiding place of 2 years), her thoughts, events that happened during World War II. Just like how one confides in his or her best mate. And suh wants you to have the same relationship that Anne had with her kitty. Suh wants you to be one who can patiently  lend her your listening ear, be it when she's happy, sad, fearful, or just when she needs you to be the avenue to train her language. Of course, suh promises that she will faithfully update you about the happenings around suh, so that you will not feel bored at all. So dory, suh hopes that we can be best friends forever. =)

It's kind of ironic because beforehand, suh promised to not abandon you. But now suh have to apologize, because she had conveniently abandoned you for two weeks. No updates on happenings at all! This is so bad, I know. But please, please do not be angry with me. To compensate, suh will tell you what exactly happened in her life for the past two weeks.

7th April to 18th April

School became the first home for Suh. She spent her days and nights in the school library, mostly at her favorite project room 5.4, mugging hard for Microecons and Technology and World Change(TWC). This was the first time that suh actually felt so happy and stress free while preparing for major exams. For usually, her mood swings will worsen as the exam approaches, and she will lose her appetite, and she will sacrifice her sleep without fail. But it was not so for this time round. Suh had her meals regularly, slept in a regular routine. And suh realized, she is able to learn and remember things better in this way. In the past, suh used to have the concept that exam preparation means to read through ALL the notes that were given, but she is wrong! Because it is all about techniques, a gamble to risk on which chapters are important and which parts to omit. So this is the secret that suh has been searching for so long. Must rememeber:

Study hard, and study smart! Play hard, and smart too.

She must really thank her study mates, Owen and Yunnie, for giving her the motivation to strive hard and do her best in the last lap. And also, not forgetting the picnic sessions too, there were hello panda, mashmallows, nescafe, loads of Mr Bean(I mean loads, like one set per day), Tea, fish head bee hoon, blah blah. Made my tummy grow by a few inches! Thanks guys for helping suh tide over this stressful period.  Thanks loads loads!

Here are some photos:

  Yunnie posing as ah neh

  Me with Cookie monsterss. Cropped my tummy cos its TOO big and round!

The mountain of food gave us the endorphins needed to stay high. Scary, imagine the amount of calories. And as a result of that, it explains THE SIZE of my tummy now. Big and round. Sigh..

  An evidence on how much we love the school and treat it like our first home.

[Salvage our GPA =(]

(one of the many) hilarious moments that entertainer Jie Wei never fails to bring to us. =)

Dory, I am so proud to tell you about the cheat sheet that Yunnie and I came up with. Font size 7, arial. The words were so small that I nearly need a magnifying glass to read.

Start time: 10am

End time: 1.30am the next day

Time that we spent doing this cheat sheet: 15 hours

Exam starting time: 9am the next day.

Imagine the mad rush during this 23h before the paper starts. After 1.30am, the cheat sheet was still not complete yet. But tired suh and yunnie got so desperate that they actually started to dismantle the cheat sheet that was done for mid terms, and transferred it to the current cheat sheet- using scotchtape!

So much being said, suh effort paid off. B for AW, B+ for Microecons. Though the results weren't exceptionally great, though suh's GPA is going to suffer this semester, but suh is really grateful about the things that books can never bring her to - Friendship and kinship. Thank you gods for giving suh the opportunity to learn things beyond academia, to be able to find trust and to protect her from all the harmful auras. Suh thank you with her deepest and greatest gratitude.

21st April - A day at Woodlands library with Agnes and Qing

Dory, you can never imagine the amount of joy Suh felt after the exams were officially over. The relieve and freedom feels as if you are sun-tanning at Hawaii or shopping like money is never-ending at BangKok, it is simply relaxing. Even though holidays do bring a sudden emptiness to your life, but it brings along happiness too!

Suh tried to spread her happiness to her friends- Agnes and Qing who were preparing for exams. She went to Woodlands library to give her sisters moral support.  Even though agnes and qing voiced their protest with regards to my relaxing style, but deep down, suh is very sure that they were grateful for suh's company. Because not only does suh gives moral support, she provided entertainment for them too! So sisters, don't have to thank me for that (though i know you guys are hating me for having holiday now. Haha =p).

Meantime, while providing support and entertainment for these two sisters. Suh spent her time serving net and chatting online. haha. At the same time, sieving through Kinabuhi photos(again) to find nice shots on innocent children for the school to publish on the school media. And at the very very same time, suh sieved out nice shots too to publish on her very OWN media, which is dory you! =)

A holy shot of cumulonimbus Clouds above the padi fields, with sun rays behind. Followed by a heavy storm that drenched Suh and her teammate totally, from top to toe.

  A clear night sky after a thunderstorn - Moon with halo. (it is just WOW if you had seen it in real life. The moon was extraordinary huge, not say the halo)

Pig. haha. Who says OCIP is very relac one? I was so tired that i am able to doze off practically anywhere, even on the forever bumpy jeepney ride. (Anw, I think I looked cute in this pic. LOL!)

 Suh at work, with her favorite yellow ribbon handycam. =)

  Picture with the locals during one of the house visit interviews.

A day where we hitched a ride on one of the villager's lorry , and had a never-before-experienced roller coaster ride at the back of the lorry (without any safety gears!)

At the local Christmas party, where the few Kinabuhis were "dragged" to mambo with the villagers. A shot where suh turned around looking at Shishir(the photographer) who used photography as an excuse to not dance! Grr! Suh should have used her videocam as an excuse!

29th April

Went for Starringsmu matriculation exercise for NSmen today. Suh felt weird. She felt like a vase there. Somehow, this CSP seemed to have evolved into a project where the selling point changed to a "must join because there's nice looking girls in it". Or it has already been there in the first place, just that suh is so slow to realize the point? So what is the difference between community service and helping the community? Now suh is blurred. I

know I'm wrong to say that, because starringsmu is actually a very meaningful event, especially SMU give back session. Granting the wish of the less fortunate is actually a very holy mission. So suh, you mustn't think this way. It is all for the sign ups.

I don't want followers, but friends, admirers who fall not for a flattering smile but for what one does and for one's character.    ~Anne Frank

I think what Anne said in her book is very true. So what Peter fall for her because of the intimate connection they had with one another, laying on his arms, hugging and giving kisses, and Anne needs the companion at that moment, they are all tangible. Peter does not like to talk about sensitive war and family issues, while Anne desire and needs someone to guide her along, especially on family issues. With these differences, these are all intangible and invisible, making them not compatible with one another. No wonder Anne and Peter did not end up together despite Anne's desire to have companionship.

In suh's life, she hopes that one day, the one will fall for who suh is, and what she does rather than her smile. Because one day, my youth will fade away, robbing my smile at the same time too. By then, will the one still fall for suh if her smile is no longer there? Suh has thought about it, if she ever has a chance to commit into a relationship, the first question she will ask will be, "what do you like about me?". The person who will seriously melts her heart will be the one who can tell her about the beauty that spreads from within suh. Won't it be nice, dory! =) (This is such a perfect fairy tale story)

Perfectionist. Shrugs.

Suh

An attempt to build the wall, to stop myself from coming out of the tortoise shell.

Dear diary,

Suh privatized her blog today. In an attempt to protect herself, her thoughts and feelings.

It so tough to determine who to trust, who not to trust. To those who are invited, Suh trusts you. =)

PS Suh doesn't know if this site is really made private or not.

If it isn't, please, to those whom like to make their moves secret: you are not welcome here. And suh does not wish to know your identity either.

Good bye.

Dear diary,

At the ungodly hour of 5.20am, Suh was trying her best to focus on her TWC readings. The fan was on, and the only sound is from the song that were playing suh's lappie.

**Type Type*(vigorous typing sound)

[backgound music still playing]

 

*Type type*

(Silence- surrounding sound was cut off as suh was dozing off while typing)

 

[As suh attempts to wake up, background music became audible again]

 

*Type type type*

*Type type*

(Silence- surrounding sound was cut off as suh was dozing off while typing)

 

[As suh attempts to wake up, background music became audible again]

 

(Semi Silence)

 

All of a sudden, a soft voice came from behind,

 

"What are you doing?" (in mandarin)

 

(Suh jumped, nearly dropping off the chair)

 

She turned around.

 

"Ma! You want to die of heart attack arh?!"

So that was the thrilling experience that suh had this morning. And now she is wide awake.

Thanks to her mum! =D

Suh

The Ting Tings
That's Not My Name

Four letter word just to get me along
It's a difficulty and I'm biting on my tongue and uh
I keep stalling, and keeping me together
People around gotta find something to say now

Holding back, everyday the same
Don't wanna be a loner
Listen to me, oh no, I never say anything at all
But with nothing to consider they forget my name, ame, ame

They call me hell
They call me Stacey
They call me her
They call me Jane

That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name

They call me quiet girl
But I'm a riot yeah
Maybe Joleisa
Always the same

That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name

I miss the catch if they throw me the ball
I'm the last kid standing up against the wall
Keep up, falling, these heels they keep me boring
Getting glammed up and sitting on the fence now
So alone all the time at night
Lock myself away, listen to me, I'm not
Although I'm dressed up, out and all with
Everything considered they forget my name, ame, ame

They call me hell
They call me Stacey
They call me her
They call me Jane

That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name

They call me quiet girl
But I'm a riot yeah
Maybe Joleisa
Always the same

That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name

Are you calling me darling?
Are you calling me bird?
Are you calling me darling?
Are you calling me bird?

They call me hell
They call me Stacey
They call me her
They call me Jane

That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name

This song has been around for quite long. Surprisingly suh came across this song recently. The lyrics reminds suh on how she felt sometimes about her name. haha. The overall blending of voices was really well done, suh likes this song!

Suh

Dear diary

Oh my god, Microeconomics is really killing suh. After attempting for 3 days , she still can't finish a two hour mock final paper.

Suh, you might as well go bang your head against the wall.

Thanks owen for the enlightenmentsssssssssssssssssss. But...oh well. Sometimes I feel like a free rider, riding on a public good that, in a way, generated negative externalities. She needs to think of some fiscal policy to improve the negative externalities.

And suh vomited today =S, straight after dinner. Feels weird, it has been so long since she vomited. =|

Must be because of dinner, I believe.

Suh

Look at the highlighted words =D

News

Which grads earn the most?

Liew Hanqing

655 words

4 April 2009

The New Paper

English

Copyright 2009, Singapore Press Holdings Limited

Pay, employment rates of grads now available online

FRESH graduates from the economics degree programme of the Singapore Management University (SMU) are among the best paid in their peer group, with a median starting salary of $3,300.

Those with distinctions fare even better. The corresponding figure for them is $3,750.

SMU's economics programme is among several local undergraduate courses with a 100 per cent overall employment rate for recent graduates.

Prospective students can now have a better idea of which local degree programmes offers the best pay, thanks to data released by the Ministry of Education (MOE) for the first time this year.

Its Graduate Employment Survey is based on responses from recent graduates of the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and SMU.

The survey tracks employment data of graduates six months after graduation.

The survey results are available on MOE's website, www.moe.gov.sg, on the 'post-secondary education' page.

The information available includes overall employment rates as well as mean and median gross monthly salaries of graduates, organised according to the degree courses offered by each university. (See table right.)

For example, about 90 per cent of mechanical engineering graduates from NUS were employed six months after graduation, with a median gross monthly salary of $2,965.

However, the economy and employment conditions have worsened since these graduates got their jobs.

A spokesman for MOE said it would publish the results of the GES annually.

'The data gives prospective students a general indication of the employment conditions of the graduates from the various degree courses offered by our local universities,' he said.

He added that MOE decided to publish the survey results to help students make informed course decisions.

The survey was conducted on graduates who completed their studies between May and June last year and entered the labour market by 1 Nov.

Point of reference

Said the spokesman: 'We understand employment conditions may have changed since, but we hope that the data may still be useful as one point of reference for the students.'

The survey covers most available degree courses, but omits data from law, medicine, pharmacy and architecture, as graduates in these subjects must first undergo professional training.

Most students The New Paper spoke to felt the information was useful for those trying to choose a course of study.

Said Tan Ying Quan, 18, who has applied to both local and overseas universities: 'The information is useful because it allows students to gauge the viability of their studies in the current job market.'

He added that the availability of such employment data would prevent students from having unrealistic expectations of their starting salaries or the likelihood of securing employment upon graduation.

But undergraduate Yvonne Poon, 20, said the starting salary is just one factor that most prospective students look at when selecting a possible future career.

'When it comes to the crunch, surely pay doesn't matter that much - aptitude and passion is more important,' she said.

'You cannot brainwash yourself into developing a liking for, say, the highest-paying job around.'

Undergraduate Joanne Chia, 22, said she felt the information would help job hunters have a good idea of what to expect when they enter the job market.

She said: 'There are still quite a number of undergraduates who don't have an accurate idea of what entry-level pay to expect.

'This information would help moderate their expectations and hopefully help them pick their jobs wisely.'

She added that it would be useful if information such as the names of big-name employers, and the number of graduates they hire from each local university, are published as well.

'That would give us a good idea of our chances of being employed by the more sought-after companies,' she said.

View the complete stats at: www.moe.gov.sg/education/post-secondary/

Document NEWPAP0020090403e54400004

Singapore

It pays to do econs at SMU

Jane Ng & Amelia Tan

815 words

4 April 2009

Straits Times

English

(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

Business grads from NUS also among top earners, survey shows

ARE you pondering what field of study to take up at university?

If you qualify, picking economics at the Singapore Management University (SMU) or business at the National University of Singapore (NUS) would be worthy options.

Those armed with such qualifications emerged as the top earners in the latest Graduate Employment Survey, which was published by the Ministry of Education for the first time.

SMU economics graduates with cum laude and higher qualifications landed average monthly salaries of $4,164, a shade above the $3,971 earned by NUS business administration honours graduates.

At Nanyang Technological University (NTU), those with chemical and biomolecular engineering degrees made the most, an average of $3,232 a month.

The results of the survey, which looked at those who graduated last year and landed a job within six months, were released yesterday. In the past, the three universities did their own surveys and released results separately, but the different benchmarks they used confused some students.

Explaining the change, the MOE said yesterday that it was made so that students could make informed course decisions. Said a spokesman: 'The data gives prospective students a general indication of the employment conditions of the graduates from the various degree courses offered by our local universities.

'We understand employment conditions may have changed since, but we hope that the data may still be useful as one point of reference for the students.'

The latest figures threw up one surprise: Those who picked teaching as a career emerged among the top earners.

Those who received Arts (with Education) qualifications from the National Institute of Education made an average of $3,207 a month.

Engineering graduates, too, did well.

Those from NUS made between $2,864 (environmental engineering) and $3,448 (computer engineering from its School of Computing), while those from NTU earned between $2,891 (environmental engineering) and $3,232 (chemical and biomolecular engineering).

These figures may prompt more interest in the field, which has struggled to attract students.

Enrolment in courses such as mechanical and electrical engineering has plunged in popularity in the last decade as undergrads moved towards 'softer' options such as business.

In recent years, attempts have been made to increase interest in engineering by introducing new areas such as aerospace engineering, but interest has still flagged despite the relatively high starting salaries for graduates.

Of the three universities, only SMU was able to provide overall average monthly salaries for its graduates across all courses: The figure was $3,170, up from $3,040 in 2007.

Overall, employment rates were also positive, and were little affected by the financial crisis, which began biting last September.

At SMU, eight in 10 graduates secured job offers either before graduation or within a month of graduation.

At NUS, information systems students from the school of computing as well as dentistry students saw a 100 per cent employment rate, as did maritime studies students from NTU, and SMU information systems students with cum laude and higher qualifications.

However, human resource and wage consultants interviewed warned that the picture will not be as rosy for those about to graduate over the next few months, and they should not expect the same kind of pay and employment prospects as their seniors.

Human resource consultancy GMP Group's senior manager Josh Goh said many firms are already slashing new hires' pay by 5 per cent to 15 per cent. He expects further cuts if the recession deepens.

Singapore Human Resources Institute executive director David Ang said it will be tougher for fresh graduates to get employed as they will also be competing with recently retrenched workers for jobs.

'My advice to students is to be open to jobs which they were not specifically trained for. You can learn on the job too.'

The full employment survey can be found at www.moe.gov.sg/education/ post-secondary/

janeng@sph.com.sg

ameltan@sph.com.sg

Courses with the top earners

SMU

1. Economics, cum laude and above: $4,164

2. Economics: $3,866

NTU

1. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: $3,232

2. Arts (with Education): $3,207

NUS

1. Business Administration (Honours): $3,971

2. Computer Engineering (from its School of Computing): $3,448.

Courses with 100 per cent overall employment rates

SMU

1. Economics

2. Information Systems Management, cum laude and above

NTU

1. Arts (with Education)

2. Science (with Education)

3. Maritime Studies

NUS

1.Information Systems

2 Dental Surgery

Based on mean salary earned each month

Overall employment rate includes full time, part-time and temporary employment.

SMU awards academic excellence according to the Latin categories: summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude. These can be translated respectively as 'with highest distinction', 'with high distinction' and 'with distinction'.

Document STIMES0020090403e54400044

This piece of news really motivates suh, it seems that the attractiveness of NTU students appear to be not as appealing to employers as it used to be.

So suh suppose, it SHOULD be a blessing in disguise to miraculously end up in SMU for her tertiary education.

Come on, cum laude. You are my biggest goal!

Suh

"A father passing by his teenage daughter's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was neat and tidy. Then he saw an envelope propped up prominently on the centre of the pillow. It was addressed "Dad". With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:-

Dear Dad,

It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you, but I'm leaving home. I had to elope with my new boyfriend Randy because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I've been finding real passion with Randy and he is so nice to me. I know when you meet him you'll like him too - even with all his piercing, tattoos, and motorcycle clothes. But it's not only the passion Dad, I'm pregnant and Randy said that he wants me to have the kid and that we can be very happy together. Even though Randy is much older than me (anyway, 42 isn't so old these days is it?), and has no money, really these things shouldn't stand in the way of our relationship, don't you agree?

Randy has a great CD collection; he already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. It's true he has other girlfriends as well but I know he'll be faithful to me in his own way. He wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too.

Randy taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and he'll be growing it for us and we'll trade it with our friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want. In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Randy can get better; he sure deserves it!!

Don't worry Dad, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grandchildren.

Your loving daughter,

Rosie.

At the bottom of the page were the letters "PTO".

Hands still trembling, her father turned the sheet, and read:

PS:

Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbour's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card that's in my desk centre drawer. Please sign it and call when it is safe for me to come home.

I love you!

Your loving daughter,

Rosie."

Maybe one day I might try this too. =)

Dear diary,

After 13 weeks of turmoil, suh is finally approaching the end of this race - finals in two more weeks. Yesterday marks the end of suh's official curriculum academic year as a freshman. That means when school reopens, she will be freshman no more, rather she will start a new school term as an "oldman" =(

Today's entry shall be a one  about reflections that suh managed to squeeze into her little mind.

But before that, Suh thinks that it is a must to mention what she did to her LTB team on april fool's day, at the risk of her reputation. She sent an email to her LTB mates with high importance.

The email looks really format and urgent on surface.

So how about the attached file?

It looks like this:

So in the end, just as expected, Suh was condemned and further ruined her own reputation in front of her LTB mates.

But despite that, she had a really good laugh. =) And that was how suh spent her April Fool's day revenging all the pranks played on her during normal days.

Thurday (2nd Apr) was a record breaking for suh. She stayed in school till 5.30am in the morning doing her acad writing research paper.  She did not sleep at all throughout the entire night. And after getting home, she was out again to school for morning lessons. That was insane i must say. It was a day where you can really hear how the city lights up in the morning, with chirping of birds as background music besides the adrenaline rush throughout your entire body. Suh really owes Owen a BIG thank you for staying behind  throughout to vet and improve her paper, no matter how tired he was. He still kept your promise to stay behind to help suh. Suh is really very touched about this, serious. His sacrifice is so big until suh does not know how should she repay him. She felt really bad to disrupt his schedule...With all the obvious hints, she knows why is he doing this, and she knows that what is he hoping to get in return. But...the feeling's just not there. There isn't any butterfly feeling, no uneasiness, no desire to share whatever she experienced or random things she thought of with him, suh just feels...normal...like how you feel with your brother. But somehow, suh is definitely indebted to him.

That feeling happened again when suh went to chill with her LTB group mates at ICB. When he met her along the way, and was worried that suh cannot drink. So he stayed back to join in to drink with other friends, despite the tiredness. Occasionally reminding her to watch her intake.

Suh  likes the way he makes her think deeply, into issues that she had never really give much of a though. She likes his patience in teaching her, guiding her along the way. And disliked the way that he keeps thinking that suh's a little girl, with all the naggings. But she's definitely blissed. But to suh, he really gives me a feeling of an elder brother, trying all sorts to protect his little sister from all possible harms.

Am I a cruel being? Will a suggestion to end up as siblings be a cruel decision? What should I do?

Rawr

That aside, sometimes suh really does not likes her indecisiveness. She just received the reflections of students from Mrs Lim to be put into her LTB portfolio, which was due yesterday. If she had asked Mrs Lim at an earlier date, this would not have happened, she would be able to put into her LTB portfolio to make the CSP section a more complete one. If she had checked the wiki page at an earlier date, she would not have panic attack minutes before the deadline and she would have successfully uploaded the things that she wanted to include to make the portfolio a complete one. If she had known, she would have called kezia to help after her class. IFs... sigh.

Procrastination, is killing suh. She has to change.

And she's typing out so as to serve a reminder to herself. Procrastination kills.

Exams are coming, in less than two weeks. Suh needs to start studying, and needs encouragements.

“One of the most beautiful gifts in the world is the gift of encouragement. When someone encourages you, that person helps you over a threshold you might otherwise never have crossed on your own.” - John O'Donohue

Suh