Charity/Donation Work

 I would say that doing charity works /donations make others' life better, (to a certain extend which may or not create impact),  and indirectly it makes you feel better when you see faces with smiles. 

Action for thought:

Imagine you are walking down the street to a shop and you saw a homeless person there. You are walking with your friend and you felt like donating some money. You took your RM Y out of your pocket and wanted to pass it over to the person but you could not do it because you felt that your friend will question you and be against it. In simple words, you wanted to avoid any further conversations about it. 

Then it came to another chance when you encountered the same homeless person there as you return to your car. You take your Y amount and pass it to that person. You walk past by with a sense of fulfillment and contentment though you had been worried about how matter Z will resolve. 

A few days later, the worry that you were having earlier resolved in a way that you have never imagined and of course with a positive outcome. 

I believe rather than you spending heavily on items/stuff that you don't really need, you may donate it to people in need. That's when you feel genuine happiness. Try it to find out yourself. 

You did not lose, but you gained. 

What is expensive?

It's the mindset.

Why? 

You can find lots of other things with the RIGHT mindset that is not only confined to the material stuff but other aspects of human life as well. 

The sad truth is, we, often by default,  judge a book by its cover leading to misconception/mislead. 

Gold Vice Chancellor Award - Valedictorian Award

21.12.2021- A memorable day that will go down into memory lane.

Gold Vice-Chancellor Award: Highest award awarded to ONE graduate with first-class academic achievement and highest extra-curricular achievements/participation percentile guided by UTP well-rounder objectives and framework methodology.

Indeed, it will be memorable because this award closes several open requests pending for years.

• Though I did not achieve the academic target aspired/desired by my secondary school in 2014, I hope that this Gold Vice-Chancellor Award will make my school (SK Puchong Jaya & SMK Batu 8) proud and my educators who guided, nurtured, mentored me throughout my journey as well.
• Though I was denied the major/course that I wanted several times in 2015/16, the Gold Vice-Chancellor Award in 2020 answers it all. I remember the times I had to travel all the way to UTP during my foundation gap to undergraduate years to change my major/course. It was uncertain if I could meet the right person to speak to when I made those journeys. I remember the words of that person clearly even to this moment, it was painful as I was denied a change in the course initially but I told him that what if I managed to find a sponsor to change my course/major in which he verbally said that he may consider it. 5 years later, the same person interviewed me for Chancellor Award (higher than Vice-Chancellor) in UTP. It was a risky move that was bridged by a sponsor. Thank you Yayasan XXXX XXXXX. If not because of them, I wouldn't be where I am here today. 
• This award answers all the Whys? that I used to get from people in UTP over the years. It wasn't a waste of time afterall. 

I am sad that I could not bring my parents to witness this very moment of me giving the valedictorian speech. I kept this award a secret for over a year and thought, I will disclose it to them in Chancellor Hall but due to unavoidable circumstances, it did not happen. 

Next : Flow is dynamic.

Class of Mechanical Engineering 2020 - Valedictorian Speech (Edited by UTP)

 It was a pretty long speech initially but was cut short by UTP. Not all parts were covered. 

Speech by ASHVINDER SINGH GILL A/L SURMAISH SINGH GILL

Student Award Winner

UTP 20TH CONVOCATION

Day 4: Tuesday, 21 December 2021 (Morning Session)

Chancellor Hall, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS

 

Thank you Master of Ceremony.

 

Yang Berusaha Encik Bacho Pilong

Pengerusi Lembaga Pengarah Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS

 

Yang Berusaha Profesor Ts. Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib

Naib Canselor Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS

 

Ahli-Ahli Lembaga Pengarah Universiti,

Ahli-Ahli Senat dan Pengurusan UTP,

Para pensyarah dan kakitangan Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS,

Para ibu bapa, tuan-tuan, puan-puan, serta sahabat-sabahat seperjuangan sekalian.

 

Selamat pagi dan salam sejahtera.

 

A very good morning I bid to everyone present here on this very auspicious day to celebrate a day of accomplishment. Today is a very special day for you and me as it marks a milestone in life after spending an average of 5 years here. It has been over a year since I and in fact, most of you left this place, and it feels nostalgic to be back at this place but this time as a graduate.

My name is Ashvinder Singh Gill and most of you will know me as Ash. I was born and raised in Puchong, Selangor, attending both Primary and Secondary school there never dreaming that I could be standing here as the representative for Mechanical Engineering Class of 2020 as the winner of Gold Vice Chancellor Award in which I dedicate this award and moment to the people and organisations who believed, nurtured and guided me.

 

Fellow Class of 2020,

If I were to reflect on our journey here and to think of one word to describe this journey, it would be: Unprecedented.

 

You are unprecedented, WE are unprecedented because WE have done something never known before – We graduated despite the ravaging pandemic. It is no secret or debate that we have proven ourselves to be one of the most resilient classes in UTP history. We have all fought battles, both known and unknown by those around us. And I am here today to say that despite our struggles, we have made it to this moment. A round of applause for ourselves!

 

Convocation- It means the celebration of an end of a chapter.

 

My very own chapter in UTP commenced unplanned as never did I expect that learning about UTP 2 days prior to July 2015 intake deadline will lead me to spending 5 years in UTP and I believe it was, indeed, the right choice- even when it meant declining a sponsorship to pursue Engineering abroad due to certain circumstances. I could clearly remember the day I was sitting for my final foundation paper UTP – Physics II here in this very hall. It was sharp 12 pm when the exam ended which also marked the end of my foundation. At that point of time, there were a series of internal monologues going on “Will this be my last day in UTP?”, “Will this be the end of my journey here?”, “What’s next?” and “Did I just failed (in-life) ?”. Well, fortunately with God’s grace, it went the other way around.  

 

As I reflect on my journey in UTP, I would say that it went by in a blink of eye and indeed, it was fast-paced and on-the-go as every semester had its own challenges. Aside from academic opportunities, I am forever grateful that the university provided me various platforms to be actively involved in various extra-curricular activities in the university, national and international level right from the foundation year till the end of second year ranging from holding diverse portfolio of leadership roles to participating in competitions including being the Director and Head of Department for several national level events, delivering Malaysian Book of Records to being champion in international competitions in which most of the participations were my first-time experience. Not to forget, UTP through YUTP also opened the opportunity for me and 19 other students of my class to be involved in an international community service project in Indonesia via its MPU4 course. Thank you YUTP for that.

 

 

 

Now that I have left UTP for over a year and in corporate life, I am certainly missing the experience spending time with friends, late night walks in UTP, participating in extra-curricular, the cold test/exam halls and IRC during exam weeks, spending hours doing Extended Assignments during the virtual semester and cumulatively live as a student.

 

It will be a lie if I say that the years in UTP went smoothly as there were challenges as well. There were times that I have struggled, failed, felt like giving up, cried, been anxious both in academics and extra-curricular which I deem as part and parcel of life. However, the growth mindset and self-motivation kept me going to push my limits and has driven me to where am I today. For me and you, the hurdles in Engineering school show that we were destined for the course. It is the sense of fulfillment that arrives after solving complicated problems that makes every single effort worthwhile. I always believe that growth happens when you feel uncomfortable, are being challenged or even in the midst when you doubted yourself.

 

People often say, that if you “survived” the competitive environment in UTP, it means that you can do anything and of course, legally.

As I am coming to the end of my speech, I would like to end this speech with some words of gratitude:

 

I would like to express gratitude to my parents, dad- Surmaish Singh Gill and mom-Jaspreet Kaur for their immense support throughout my life journey and without them, I would not be where I am today. They had always been my biggest driving force to work hard, which in turn enabled me to thrive in multiple environments. They never pressed me to pursue academic excellence either which is why in my entire family generation, I am the very first graduate and an engineer. Not to forget, I am fortunate to have friends who have been with me at times of challenges and situations guiding and supporting me in both academics and non-academics. There are countless names but I believe you know that I am referring to you who have crossed my path. And to my mentors and community-online & offline, thank you for your countless support, care, mentorship, insights, direction, guidance, motivation and advice. To my previous alma mater, SMK Batu 8 and SK Puchong Jaya, thank you for all the preparation, advice, knowledge and support. To my educators Mr. Reveendran and Puan Chin, thank you for your guidance and words of advice in SMK Batu 8 and educator Mr. Mohan for all your advice and guidance in SK Puchong Jaya. I am extremely privileged to have them in life as not everyone can afford the same privileges: supportive family members, healthy competitive friends and mentors.

 

Standing on the same degree of gratitude, I would like to thank the Department of Mechanical Engineering including lecturers, support staff, and the management for their relentless hard work in educating and gearing us to face industry-wide challenges through lectures, tutorials, assessments, industry lectures, seminars. Also, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Tamiru for your guidance throughout my FYP journey.

 

Lastly, thank you to the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS diverse community including management, RV, support staff, UTP clinic, food operators for providing me extensive opportunities, facilities, and administration support throughout my journey.

 

Most of all, thank you, UTP for making this convocation a reality.

And, remember to be kind to others as you never know what others are going through. Take care of your mental health especially in the digital world we are living in today. At the current age, we are now, you may have dreams or passion and often we are told to follow our dreams. So, whatever your dream is right now, if you don't achieve it, you haven't failed, and you're not some loser/failure. But just as importantly — and this is the part I may not get right and you may not listen to — if you do get your dream, you are not a winner... Life is an improvisation. You have no idea what's going to happen next.

With that,

Happy graduation to distinguished alumni, guests, family and friends, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, staff, and the extraordinary class of 2020!

Thank you, stay safe!

Social Media - Mental Health

What we show online doesn't, at a substantial level, reflect in real life. 

It's pretty common to listen or read that people are in an inclined tendency to showcase superiority relative inferiority in social media but in reality, based on my observation of my surrounding community, it tells a different tale.

It may also affect your mental health directly or indirectly depending on your mental tolerance/capacity.

Take care of your mental health. Breaks from social media may help as a start. I experimented over a span of a year, it worked. 

It's on you now to decide how do you want to manage it. 

Trust

There are some people that you can trust and some you can't. Observe when you are in a pain and reach out to see how these people will help you. If they did, congratulations you are having the right circle. Alternatively, if they did not, it's time to find new. 

Theory of Why Are You As Such (IMO)

We may think that person Y is better than person X. He or she is gifted and etc...

People may say that person Y is lucky but to me, I put it this way.

Person Y is as such because he or she deserves it based on their previous deeds in life and the way to improve it in the next life is by doing good in the present life. They may have suffered in their previous life before they deserve to receive what they should be at their current life. 

Thus, you should not be jealous or be envy of others. Instead, you should be taking it positively as a test in your current life which will determine how your next life will go if you were to be reincarnated.

Birthdays

Birthdays are celebrations most people look forward to in their life. 

To me,  birthday is an aging indicator. 

Live your life to the fullest and most importantly help those underprivileged or in need because we once also hail from such background no matter if you are able/rich now. 

- Help the poor

- Help the helpless

- Help the needy 

- Help the child who needs guidance/mentorship so that one day they can help others

My commitment is to help those in need/helpless and I will continue to do as long as I live because I know how it feels like to be in their shoes.  

As I am 24 today, my wish is that more and more people will help people from those backgrounds so that they will one day be able to help others. 

God bless!

Your Network

Your Network = Your Worth (in 5-10 years time)

Having connections in different aspects (refers to what you wanna achieve which you can set) of life will mean a lot to help you grow as an individual.

Often, people say that having large network is advantageous. It’s true to certain extent.

However, a small network relative to large network is something more meaningful in the long term for growth acceleration in terms of network efficiency.

Personally, I am grateful to have a small network with high network efficiency covering wide aspects of life which extends thousands of miles away in which I can reach out to at anytime I want.

People Watching

It’s a hobby which involves observing how people talk/walk/interact.

Personally, this hobby inspires me to write even more as I get the chance to explore human behavioural component here and there.

Patience-Key to success?

The answer is a BIG Bold YES!

Some things take time to come as it is a matter of time and location.

However, our psychology sometimes hit us hard to be wanting to reap the good (profit/benefits) fast without us  being patient enough to wait for it to nurture further.

It’s always good to invest in something for a long-term basis.

Failure-What it means?

 Failure is a positive aspect in life.

It teaches you valuable lessons that if, taken for granted would not do the same impact.

The more you fail, the better it is because you have vetted more options in life which directs you towards better things in life/goal.

This is what once my lecturer told me once I was in the alma mater. This statement is something which is very powerful but requires mental strength to endure it.

Why a person behaves such way?

We might have heard people gossiping of another person saying that

-The person is x,y,z and blablabla…

But little did we know how she or he was brought up perhaps (in a different environment) which she or he does not have any control over it.

Last time, I used to ponder on why the person is acting or behaving as such. Then, I realized it may be due to several factors exposing them to how they react or behave at the present.

Factors include:

-Family background

-Friends

-Internet exposure

-Interest level

That is why people say everyone was once a beginner in learning something (reacting/behaving). It’s best we guide them too if we know what is right/wrong. It is absolutely wrong to make fun or laugh at them as we never know that we may be doing something wrong but others corrected us instead of teasing.

Is it good to have haters in life?

Ever heard the saying which goes -Haters going to hate?

Well-The bitter the hate is, the better it is

Why?

It simply means that you are doing better than whoever it is that is in a hate relationship with you because they failed to be ahead of/beat you. Often, this kind of relationship is not obvious (internal) because imagine why should a person show hatred towards you in the obvious ways. However, you may notice it in the ways they interact with you (look at the way they communicate when in-person and in-group).

Nevertheless, looking at the brighter side, the presence of haters simply would be a great achievement because they (your haters) are afraid of your competition towards them which makes them feel uncomfortable and means you are on the right track or in other words, doing well.

Which you should

-Be continuously working on whatever skillset/achievement you are working on to become even better as psychologically it leads to a better mindset towards growth

-Be driven to escalate your progress and achieve the end goal

And remember,

-To work in silence under the shy of social media

As social media is where all bullshit/toxicity/fraud are being shared which confuses individuals. The reality is often the opposite of what is being portrayed there (You know better).

Challenges/Problems

I am sure everyone in the world face challenges/problems in their life but the degree is uncertain.

Sometimes we just hope that life will be amazing if there is no problem/challenge. 

But, in reality, the challenges/problems are something which make life even fun and exciting.

I had a friend who I once talked to, I asked him on why do he likes to do things in hard/tough ways and something which troubles him. His answer was he enjoys doing it and that makes his life sweet and sour in the midst of all sorts of sugar and salt that life throws to him.

Unfairness

Sometimes I hope that the world be kind to everyone. 

As it’s lunch hour, I had some random thought running in my mind: 

It is unfair that someone gets more and someone gets less.

-The low-income community didn’t want to be in poverty

-The poorly-abled didn’t want to be born with such

-The janitors didn’t want to be what they are

But, it is the unfairness in life that hits and one has to play their life cycle.

It is better to help and understand each other on what one is going through as this world is just a temporary place and each one come from different background on how they see things.

Clarity in Communication

 Specific and clear communication is important.

Example: You want something.

Mom: Buy me that marigold orange juice.

The son heads to the shop and gets it. He grabs what he sees relevant.

But, when he returns, his mom scolded him for buying the wrong one although he wasn't wrong.

His mom could have told him to buy the 300ML Marigold Orange Juice (For drinking) as it was a core cake ingredient.

Moral: Being specific in communication reduces hassle and avoids miscommunication which also saves time and cost.

Being Questioned-Challenged

Sometimes being questioned on your capability and capacity is good.

Why?-It puts you on a test in terms of capability and capacity driving you forward.

Here’s a story:

In Year 6 of elementary school, there was a boy named Agill. His academic performance in the school was not that good till Year 5. His teachers even mocked him by telling him “you and hardworking” and “you will never be successful”.

You know what he did: He worked his way up towards being the most consistent scorer in Year 6 while maintaining ranking at top 1% for every semester exams.

His teachers were amazed of his achievements because this was a rare case of a student who usually sits in the last rank being capable to score and grow exponentially.

Hence, it is good if you are challenged because this is the actual growth moment in life.

Don’t be afraid if people rejects/challenges you. The more you have of such experience, the better will you be as an individual.

Identity-As a Human

Sometimes the question of existence arise:

Who am I?

Why am I here?

What's my purpose?

IMO, it is based on the religion that we believe in. 

We are born to do something guided by 'what is right, what is wrong principle'.  And, that "something" is what we need to explore and figure out in life. Once, the purpose is there, life will seem to be driven.

Homeless People

While I was having my lunch just now,

Few thoughts crossed my mind.

What about the homeless people? 

Have they eaten? 

How are they? 

It makes me sad, as there are still people who are struggling  in meeting their basic needs.

I wish that I have enough resources to help them out.

One day I will! 

Strange World

 We live in a strange world in which people are looked up to when they are someone in life and not when the person is in weak position.

I honestly dislike such people. The act of taking picture with famous/successful people is not condemned but let’s look at another untouched angle.

Everyone deserves equal treatment as they are human too. Be it from the CEO till the cleaner.

 I have not seen any pictures of people posing with the cleaners i.e. the most hardworking people. 

Please respect and value them too!

It is not an easy job for the cleaners and sometimes it is not the life that they wanted. Maybe they had their own problems.

P/S:Cleaner here refers to anyone with a labour-oriented job and it is not meant to disrespect or condemn this noble profession.

Sacrifice - Mental Health

 No one understands how much a person has or had to sacrifice himself or herself in order to meet the expectation of others/their relations. 

It may be sacrificing their own dream or goals for others.

Life could be easy if it does not follow the conventions. 

It can certainly make a person sad/disappointed/in depression. 

A lot of people are suffering out there i.e. mental health.

Just be kind and help others!

You never know what they are going through. 

Never ever judge a person no matter how good your life you think you are living relative to others.

If you face these issues, please reach out and talk to others because mental health is something that affects silently. 

Trick to Surpass Turnitin/Plagiarism

Enclose with "" in white for each paragraph.

Turnitin will exclude those words in "".

Example:

"This is a robot."

"" must be in white so that it will not be traced when viewed with naked eye.

Good luck!

Why do we understand better if we revisit a topic?

Brain Processing Stages 

Stage 1: Familiarity 

Stage 2: Learning 

Stage 3: Adapting + Processing

Stage 4: Innovating/Creative Thinking/Out-of box curiosity 

Stage 5: Application

Why we fail?

1. Unrealistic goals.

2. Incorrect timing.

3. Environment.

4. People. (Case basis)

5. Yourself. 

Life is the most difficult exam?

 Is it or is it not?

Ask yourself.

Life is difficult if you compare yours with others.

Simple and happy if you don’t compare and constantly spare time to pray. 

Everyone has a different set of questions in life and paths.

Don’t worry. 

It is just the matter of time.

What stops an individual?

1. The constant doubt/person.

2. The environment.

3. The capacity/skill/knowledge. 

How does COVID-19 infection feel like? What to do if you were tested positive?

It all started with a 39 degree C fever which took less than a day to heal. 

Fortunate enough that my dad went for testing earlier as he suffered from loss of smell/taste symptoms and was tested positive.

The next thing was to quickly get me tested and continue to WFH after informing my workplace for risk assessment to mitigate the risk of spreading and the ESH representative did a very good job in handling this matter transparently and effectively.

Turned out, I was positive as well and I did my mandatory quarantine for 10 days in my room. 

After the symptom first on-set, there were no other symptoms developed in the next 10 days.

After 10 days, no second test was done as they claim that a person who is infected with covid-19 will still remain positive but not contagious and can continue to interact in the society as usual.

The immunity period varies depending on the infectivity rate. 

Only Tip: Remain calm + Warm water + Vitamin C everyday as suggested by many.

There are few stages of Covid-19 infection but most commonly will be asymptomatic. 

There is also a possibility that not all in-contact will be tested positive and it is best to follow the precautions while quarantining at home.

As I am writing, it has been 15 days since released from quarantine. 

Stay safe people!

How to achieve something?

Just start.

Keep it rolling.

Put effort.

Resilience.

Ice Berg Model. 

Is Life Fair?

The Answer: Sometimes it isn’t and sometimes it is.

This is a harsh reality to accept. 

Some may say:

"For me, life isn’t that great. I have got my own problems. I do feel like giving up but I can’t. It's not the life that I chose but I have to live with it."

"I have to keep pushing no matter how hard life hits."

"If I shed my tears, I am the one who picks my pieces back and organize."

"I am restricted from sharing."

"Delightfulness doesn’t last for me. Maybe it’s my karma."

"I just hope that my life will improve with time one day."

Hope!- It is just a matter of time, my friend. Patience is the key.

Risks-Are they worth taking or not?

Answer: It depends on how you look at it.

It may be worth it or may not.

No matter it is a success or a failure.

Perception should be as follow:

-If I fail, I always learn

-If I win, I always grow and teach

What regulates?

It's the mindset, effort, and environment around.

Progress vs Perfection

When you start, 

Progress is much more important than perfection relatively because progress leads to perfection. 

It's not necessary to start perfectly because progress will keep yourself motivated.

Most importantly, it is the progress made towards reaching the goal. 

The short answer is to start and make progress-Adapt, Innovate, Negotiate

Lessons from ECA Participation

Leadership Lessons

It is undeniable that every aspect of life starts with leadership sense and leadership begins with self-awareness.

Therefore, based on this cruciality, it leads to the ability to lead and drive others towards a common goal. People may confuse on what differentiates leadership from being a team player. Well, they are two distinctive terms used in organizational management or what we know as soft/personal skills.

Now, in my journey of leading projects, I learnt a lot and the learning came by making mistakes instead of assuming. This is how I grew from my comfort zone and of course, there were lots of setbacks or what we deem as challenges for self-growth.

Based on my personal experience in more than 25 events cumulative since foundation studies, I have picked 3 important lessons which play a vital role in my life.

Joining more than 25 events wasn't easy. 

What I learnt from 25+ events:

Rule 1:When you form your team, never ever recruit your friend.

Now, as a leader, you will need to be firm and sometimes you will have to make decisions which will be not in favour of everyone. Therefore, these decisions might not be liked by some and if the team member is your friend, it may affect the relationship. The key to this is to always recruit or work with new people because you will not only learn new things from them but as well as build a new network of friends through the project. I am not telling it is not good to take your friends under your team but it depends on the way you manage.

Key takeaway: Recruit new people to build a new network in the working relationship.

Rule 2: When you delegate tasks or commands, effective communication is vital.
As a leader, proper communication via verbal and written is important because this is how proper and effective communication happens in peer to peer relation. This assures that the message is transmitted well and understood for actions to be taken efficiently and effectively. Always, keep it direct to the point and effective for everyone to understand quickly without including emotions.

Key takeaway: Proper verbal and written communication are vital for effective task delivery so that there need not be repetition in information delivery.

Rule 3: When you are in the execution phase, always remember to follow-up and be firm.

As a team lead, it is vital to be firm no matter if it is your own friend. There is always a tendency for  bias, and for this reason, always keep following-up even it is your own friend and be fair to each and everyone in the team in the aspects of how everyone is treated. This is important to avoid any misunderstanding and lack of respect between a leader and a team member in case in the future you will have to work in the same team.

Key Life Learning Method

 The single best learning method is to start and learn from the process. 

If a problem arises, it is vital to adapt and pivot fast. 

Failure is the best way to learn a lesson.