Lesson 1:Life is too short to hate people

In life,you will meet various kinds of people.They are different books ,each writing their own story in the chapter they are in the life.And of course it means that they have different faces and their appearance in  a person's life is definitely either to serve as lesson or blessings in life.Hence,with that said,you meet people who fall in two categories which falls in categories of  a)supports/love/cares you b)hates/dislikes/envies you.

Having people who supports you in life is a form of blessing and is important to keep you in the respective life track towards achieving the 'designated' karma.These are the people you should care about because they care for you and you should not lose them.These are the people who lifts you up in your personal support system in terms of mental and psychological and talking them is one of the many ways to be happy.

On the other hand having people in the category b) are people who forces you to level you up to push you limits to higher levels in whatever aspects relevant.There might be difficulty when you are dealing this kind of people but this difficulties can be overcome if you follow one simple approach which includes:

-Love everyone and treat them equally even if they are the person you dislike because life is just too short to create the hatred.Each person plays role in your life so do the person you dislike.So love them as they force you to level up to keep you in pace.

Summing up,we should be in-care of everyone we meet in life regardless of they falling in the a) or b) category in your life because each person that you meet serve to teach you a lesson or is a form of blessing.Hope this serves as a good guidance in life.

~The Perspective of Life~

Life is something that people define as crazy which can have many ups and downs and is extremely unpredictable.These ups and downs can happen at any point of time which can affect one in terms of mental(depression and stress) and sometimes physical (health) as well.

In fact,there are many people out there who aren't pleased of their life and this is not only confined to the poor people but the rich as well.I am pretty sure that some people that you have met in life will be telling that you have a better life quality or something better that they  lack in but they themselves think that they are smaller or weaker than the person their comparing with.But,let me tell you something,everyone is born with certain  talent that one might know or will have to discover which can sometimes take time which therefore needs patience and self-discovery can be the key sometimes.You must remember that you are special in the way that you are created.I know that sometimes this can be tough to accept or can be mind-boggling but hey you must learn to accept the uniqueness of yourself.Try not to compare yourself to others but just compare with yourself.Confused? Well its simple.For instance,I do compare myself between the person I am at this moment relative to the person before (let's say 1 year ago) and I always aspire to be better that the previous me.This is what you can do rather than comparing yourself with others.Also,bear in mind that everyone is born different and their challenges are distinct.You might not know what the other person might be suffering from or facing because he or she can just hide from you,so learn to appreciate yourself and be grateful of what you have.And,if you think that you deserve something better,you should be working hard to achieve it and not complaining for it.This is your challenge.


I hope this helps if anyone is reading and feeling a little down.

Interview Experience @ Petrosains Discovery Centre

Hi guys!Today's blog post is about my experience as a volunteer at Petrosains.I am a volunteer under a department called PETTVO which stands for PETRONAS Towers Visit Operation in which my responsibilities lie in ensuring  smooth daily operation.You might be wondering on how I managed to volunteer at the PETRONAS Towers Visit Operation rite?

Well,its not that tough.

The first step of every application is to apply and so did I made my application via the website.I waited for few days before I received a call from the volunteer management unit of petrosains congratulating me that I have been shortlisted  to participate in the half-day interview at Petrosains.As usual,I prepared the required documents as requested and wore smart casual as it was the attire for the interview day.

Moving on to the interview session,this session was divided into two sections which were Self-introduction and a Role-play session.Self-introduction is self-explanatory whilst the role-play session was more about a session in which we,in a group of 7,were allowed to pick either to sing or to act.We chose to sing as it was the easiest.The song that we chose to sing was Baby by Justin Bieber.It was an interactive session as the purpose of the interview was merely to test ones ability to communicate.To sum up,the interview went well and we were informed to wait for few days prior to results announcement.Few days passed and finally,I received the call from volunteer management unit congratulating me that I have successfully passed the interview and I am required to attend a five-day volunteer orientation programme (VOP) at Petrosains starting from Monday till Friday.

During VOP,I met new friends  from various origins and universities and we sum up to approximately 40 volunteers chosen for the June 2017 batch.Basically in the 5 days of VOP,we were given exposure on the working ethics and culture in PETRONAS as Petrosains is a subsidiary under PETRONAS and therefore we need to abide to the working culture of PETRONAS.Also,we were introduced to 4 vital departments which included PETRONAS Towers Visit Operation (PETTVO),Exhibit Technology (ET),Science Centre Visit Operation (SCEVO) and Programme Department in which each department had its own function.PETTVO serves to assist visit operation in Petronas Towers at which you will not be working in Petrosains Discovery Centre Level 4 while SCEVO on the other hand functions to assist visit operation in Petrosains.ET is the department which handles the operation of exhibits in Petrosains.At the end of the VOP,we were given the choice to choose two important departments that we wish to work in and I made the choice of working in PETTVO (1st choice) and Programme (2nd choice).However,I was given the first choice and I was looking forward for it.In the June 17 batch,there were 10  volunteers selected under PETTVO and we were required to attend a 5-day compulsory on-the-job training as part for us to be certified as volunteers.

When you volunteer,you get paid in the form of honorarium depending on the number of hours volunteered.There are awards too for the volunteer who has reached a certain number of volunteering hours.Payment are usually made every 15 days (if I'm not mistaken).

Well,I chose to volunteer in PETTVO because I love meeting new people,learning new things and I can choose to work either in the morning,afternoon or full depending on the availability as we are to select  the slots in the roaster on when we wish to work.The working environment in PETTVO is fun and at the same time you can chill.

 PETTVO usually has a longer period of working as you can either take the morning,afternoon or even full shift while if you work in the department of SCEVO,ET and Programme, you will have to work only in the morning following the Petrosains operating hours.

Interestingly,in Petrosains,you can volunteer till  the age of 65 which is a great opportunity to make money while volunteering ;)

Yayasan Sime Darby Scholarship 2016

This blog will be about my scholarship journey  from the application stage until the stage I successfully secure it.Like the norm of application for other scholarships,for YSD scholarship,I applied via Yayasan Sime Darby Online Scholarship Portal in March 2016 at which at that particular time I was in my last semester of my Foundation in Engineering at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS.I used my second semester result to apply the YSD Excellence Scholarship Award whereby the minimum CGPA for the application is 3.50 for Foundation (I am not sure of other pre-university studies minimum requirement as I only did my foundation studies).Okay,I actually took a risk when I applied for YSD scholarship as I am supposed to complete my pre-university studies to be eligible to apply but I managed to pull through and.What actually motivated me?Well,I was motivated as I needed funds to fund my degree education which cost at an estimated value of RM75k/4 years and I did not want to put this financial burden on my parents shoulder.Indeed,the ending was sweet as I managed to clinch the scholarship after long and hectic stages which lasted approximately 5 month from the time of application till acquiring it.

Moving on to the point of this entry,here are the tips/brief on what happened in each stage.
P/S:These tips/brief are based on 2016 and I am not sure if its the same for every year as what I heard is that the format keeps changing.

Stage 1:Online Application via YSMS portal

Like many other scholarship applications,I had to submit my application via online in which I need to fill up my personal details,family details,participation in extra-curricular activities and short essay questions that need my response.

The following are some of the basic questions I was asked during my time of application:

• What made you apply for Yayasan Sime Darby scholarship?
• Please give us details of any bond, scholarship or financial received (duration of bond, amount, etc.) in the past. Please also list other scholarships you are applying for at the moment. (This information will not be used to prejudice your application).
• Where did you find out about Yayasan Sime Darby Scholarship?

I actually did this at the very last minute,like 3 hours before the deadline and yes,I encountered several technical issues to submit because the browser kept refreshing perhaps due to high web traffic and I did not manage to submit before the deadline because of the issue aforementioned.Anyways,since I did not manage to submit on time,I emailed to YSD stating that I faced an issue in submitting my application with the proof of screenshot of the application and time record.Thankfully,my application was successfully submitted the next day (I received an email stating my application was submitted successfully two days after).

Tips:

• In the extra-curricular section,during my time,I attached my Resume/CV just to show some extra bits of my participation as I could not fit all in the limited number of columns to fill-up details about extra-curricular.This is also suitable if you don't have the relevant details to support under this tab.However,this is just a suggestion which may not be appropriate but during my time of application,I took this risk and managed to pass stage 1.
• Please apply earlier as you may not want to face any problems to submit your application if you submit at the very last minute.Please don't be like me :P.

Stage 2:Phone Interview

A relief when I received an Email below after 24 days of waiting.

Second stage was all about the test of communication skills and confidence.In stage,the assessors would love to know how quick/prompt you can answer the questions(actually right or wrong does not matter because they would like to know your ability to communicate well as this is vital in life).During my time,it was a 10 minutes session.

In the case I was given,I was asked on a question on
 "What am I doing,like am I studying or working or on sem break?"
At that time,like I mentioned,I was in my final semester of foundation studies and so did I mentioned to the assessor and several questions pertaining to my studies were asked like how I manage my time and what do you want to be?By the way,it was more like a casual-conversation and the questions were randomly asked which may differ from person to person.To be honest,I was nervous at the very beginning of the phone interview session as it was my first time being interviewed via phone but I gradually built my confidence as we spoke.Judging from the tone used by my assessor as he spoke,he sounded friendly.

Tips:

• Be confident and be yourself when you speak.
• The topics of discussion are random as it can range from something about yourself to general topics whereby your critical thinking and general knowledge may sometimes be tested.
• Keep calm and do greet your assessor well because this is the first time that he/she is speaking to you and thus you will need to create a good impression to him or her.
• Please keep your communication device close to you during which your interview is scheduled as you will not want to miss out the interview :)

Stage 3:Online Ability Test

After 39 days of completing stage 2,I received an email stating that I am successful in the second stage which led me to the third stage of interview.Okay,here's the advantage I attained.I was given the opportunity to do an unsupervised online ability test at my place of convenience supported by the reason that I could not be physically present at Wisma Sime Darby as I was in the final week of my foundation studies and my finals were approaching.Here is the email which I received :)

Well,like many other scholarships that test the candidates with online tests,YSD Online Ability Test is divided into two which comprise of Numerical Reasoning Test and Verbal Reasoning Test which were pretty easy and straight-forward.During my time,my online tests were sourced from SHL.I am not sure whether it will be from the same source every year.

 Tips:

• Make sure you are in a conducive environment with stable internet and calm environment with minimal interruptions as you may not want distractions to affect your attention when answering.
• Make sure you manage your time well when you answer the questions.A calculator might be needed in the Numerical Reasoning Test.

Stage 4:Penultimate stage~Oral Presentation & On the Spot Final Interview

After 53 days of online ability test,I thought that my application for YSD has failed as I did not receive any updates on the status of application which kept the hope that I am still able to pass to the final stage.Actually,after the completion of the Online Ability Test,I began to read lots of materials about Sime Darby including the annual reports,businesses,being in touch with YSD scholars from different country like Indonesia via LinkedIn and read contents from blogs of YSD scholars.I received lots of input from a YSD scholar in Indonesia (He is currently working with PT Minamas Plantation,a subsidiary of Sime Darby).He explained on the working culture in Sime Darby and what it takes to be their scholar such as leadership and academic excellence.Perhaps, my instinct was strong that I will pass to final stage and I did receive an email stating that I passed the Third stage and has to attend the presentation session scheduled 2 days after I received the email. Hmmm,at this particular time  I felt kinda lazy to attend in which I was looking forward to postpone my interview.I contacted the YSD personnel and asked him if there is any possibility that my oral presentation be postponed to a different.However,his replied was  "We are afraid that this might be your last chance and we are not sure if there is any other session further." and so I accepted to attend the presentation.I did some preparation for the presentation before the day.

It was a lazy Wednesday afternoon and I was feeling under the weather when I arrived at Wisma Sime Darby around 2pm.

By the way,below is the screenshot of the email I received:

Okay,when I arrived at the the 19th Floor (YSD Office),I did not put any hope or expectation.There were few other candidates (about 5 of them-All were in their undergraduate studies of Mechanical Engineering at their respective institutions) and I was the only student who has just completed foundation.Okay,moving to the presentation session order,I was the first one to do the oral presentation.We were greeted by Encik Ahmad Nasril (He is no longer with YSD now :( and I was told to head to a holding room in which I will need to prepare for my presentation and I was equipped with marker pens of different colors and a Mahjong paper.This was a 20 minutes session in which I was given 3 questions for the oral presentation and I had to pick one.As far as I can remember,I chose a question related to innovation in Sime Darby (I could not remember the topic well.).Being confident with the topic,I did a Mind Map of the important points and supporting points and managed to complete within 20 minutes time limit.Trust me it can never be adequate.Nevertheless,YSD will definitely want to know on how well you can think within short period of time involving critical thinking and problem solving skills.Once the preparation time was over,Enck Ahmad Nasril informed me that I will need to wait till the panel of interviewers arrive.I was lucky enough that there was a waiting time which gave me some time to prepare on what should be included in the oral presentation and be mentally prepared.After waiting for an hour,I was called for the presentation in a meeting room.When I first met  my assessors,they looked furious and serious at first glance,but I was all wrong LOL!They were all friendly and even gave me some time to prepare before I start my presentation.The presentation went smooth with several ideas impressing them and in fact they were surprised to learn some facts of Sime Darby which they were not aware of.They questioned me on how did I know a lot about Sime Darby and my answer was that I read them or answered based on  possible resources such as annual reports,website,LinkedIn and blogs.Once my presentation was done,I was delighted as I am done for the day but nope!One of the interviewer called for a short background check which actually ended up more than a 30 minutes session.I did not expect this was coming because as per the email,it was supposedly only be an oral presentation before being further shortlisted for the final interview.It was all out of sudden.Anyways,the interview went well at which I was asked about my family background,myself,passion,career aspiration,some other relevant questions.

After a 3 hours session,I was glad that everything went smooth.It was about 4.45 pm when the session ended.Four other candidates were still waiting for their turn.As I was tired both physically and mentally,I did not take any pictures but I can surely tell you that it was indeed a great day.

Tips:

• Do read up on Sime Darby like what they do,your source can be from website,annual report,YSD scholars,LinkedIn and any other trusted sources.
• Be yourself and maintain a high level of confidence when answering or presenting.
• Establish a good impression in front of your assessors.

Congratulations!

After a journey of almost five months,I managed to clinch the scholarship.It was a long and hectic journey which witnessed  blood,sweat and tears to finally securing it.Truly,what an experience!

I am really2 thankful to my parents for supporting my journey from time of application till the day of securing this once in a lifetime opportunity of being able to pursue my undergraduate studies without financial burden of PTPTN or other loan source.There has been lots of setbacks and challenges in the pursuit of this scholarship as I suffered from health issues such as recurring tension headache which somehow affected my daily performance.Nevertheless,with God's will,nothing is impossible.Prior to my application for YSD,I applied many other scholarships.Unfortunately,there was no luck for me and I failed almost in every interview.But,now I have secured YSD scholarship,I will need to work even harder and be the change agent who has the capacity and capability to help others in the future.

Thank you Yayasan Sime Darby!

P/S:If you have any questions,feel free to ask me in the comment section below :)

Till next time...