China's Ivy League Universities

University: China's top varsity and its first national university. Established in 1898, it is noted for producing luminaries such as the writer Lu Xun. It was also at the forefront of student movements, such as the May Fourth Movement and the 1989 Tiananmen protests.

Qinghua University: Alma mater of Chinese President Hu Jintao and Vice-President Xi Jinping. The Beijing-based school is known for its business and engineering studies.

Fudan University: Widely viewed as China's top southern university, the Shanghai-based institution is highly regarded for physical sciences, social sciences and medicine.

Zhejiang University: Seen by Chinese students as the country's No. 4 university, after Beijing, Qinghua and Fudan. The Hangzhou-based college is rated highly in natural sciences and engineering.

Nanjing University: Established in AD258 under the Kingdom of Wu, it is one of the oldest universities in China. It is regarded as a pioneer in many fields, including literature, philosophy and history.

Shanghai Jiaotong University: Known for its engineering strength, the university counts former Chinese president Jiang Zemin and computer giant Lenovo founder Liu Chuanzhi among its alumni.

Harbin Institute of Technology: Famous for its military and space-related research. A key player in China's Shenzhou space project.

Xi'an Jiaotong University: The top university in China's western region. It is well regarded for its science and medicine programmes.

University of Science and Technology of China: The college in northern Anhui province is renowned for its science research. It is well-known, too, for its vice-president, physicist Fang Lizhi, whose liberal ideas inspired pro-democracy student protests in 1986 and 1989.
Source: TST
"疏食飲水，曲肱而枕，樂在其中矣。不義而富貴，于我如浮雲。" - Confucian



"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these." George Washington Carver

Aim higher; Reach further

"Our work is the presentation of our capabilities." Edward Gibbon

"Languages make possible both the living of a common history, and also the telling of it." Nicholas Ostler
"There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no insurmountable barrier except our own inherent weakness of purpose." Elbert Hubbard 1856-1915, Writer and Publisher

"The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it." Pearl S. Buck





"When you develop your ability to balance your emotions, unexpected problems won't knock you off balance as easily, and you'll return more quickly to a positive outlook." Peggy McColl

Photos by: Jason Yeo ST

"The leading edge in evidence presentation is in science; the leading edge in beauty is in high art." Edward Tufte

"If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much." Jim Rohn 1930-2009, Author and Speaker

Oral Skills

The oral exam is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your knowledge, your presentation/speaking skills, as well as your ability to communicate... Answers are often less exact (right/wrong), and value is added for problem solving analysis and method, as well as interpersonal communication and presentation.

Preparation
- Ask your teacher or lecturer what will be on the exam.
- Prepare . If you do not study, you will not do well.
- Write out questions you expect to be asked, then...
- Discuss answering techniques with people in the field or who have had the test.
- Practice answering with classmates.
- Practice in a similar setting, in front of a mirror, to evaluate your "manner".

The Exam
- Look and act professional! Create a good impression. Dress well and appropriately, turn off mobile phones and pagers
- Arrive at the location early to collect yourself and check out the situation
The exam begins the minute you walk in:
- Introduce yourself immediately; Give the instructor all of your attention; look interested and smile!
- Keep good posture and eye contact; If there are distractions (noise outside, etc,) you may mention your distraction and/or nervousness.
- Stay focused through the interview. Be an intelligent listener as well as talker.
- Do not ramble if you do not know an answer. Do not keep silence or stare blankly.
State directly that you do not know the answer but ask if you could outline how you would find the answer, solve the problem, or the method you would employ.
- Maintain your self-confidence and composure if you feel the interview is not going well. The interviewer may be testing you.
- Answer questions with more than "yes" or "no". Stress the positive and not the negative. Use two or three key points or examples to demonstrate your knowledge.
- Watch for signs that the test is over. (i.e., the interviewer looks at the clock, moves the chair back, or completes a set of questions)
- Ask if there is anything you could answer that would add to your evaluation.
- Thank the instructor.

Follow-up
- Summarise your performance; where you did well or poorly. Keep a written record.
- Note how you could do better for the next time. Note if there was a significant "event" during the interview.
- Do not hesitate to question or comment on either the material or your performance, however, do not challenge the teacher, but seek to understand your performance.
- If you have concerns about an inappropriate evaluation after raising concerns with your teacher, discuss them with that department's, or your school's, academic counseling center or a higher authority.

Adapted fm Source

Student with a Cause

He came, he engaged, he went forth... by having

over 1,000 musicians' copyrights protected.


Musician Pho Duc Phuong, Director of the Centre for Music Copyright Protection of Vietnam.

VietNamNet Bridge. With the three newly signed contracts on November 22, the Centre for Music Copyright Protection of Vietnam now has over 1,000 musician members.

The family of late musician Nguyen Van Khanh, musicians Nguyen Vinh Tien and Hong Kien are the latest people to entrust the centre to protect the copyrights of musical works.

Established four years ago, the centre has sold musical works to businesses in Vietnam and paid fees to musicians.

“Between 2002 and July 2006, the centre collected over VND5 billion ($312,500) from selling music copyrights and this sum of money has been paid to musicians,” revealed Pho Duc Phuong, the centre’s director.

However, this sum of money is still modest since copyright infringement is still popular in Vietnam.

The centre has very patiently discussed copyright fees with some restaurants, hotels and clubs in Hanoi like Blue Wave, Aladin, Seventeen, and New Century, to get their commitments to pay copyright fees. However, from the ‘agreement’ to pay to “payment’ is a great gap that requires great efforts.

The centre has signed bilateral contracts on music copyright protection with 16 countries and territories. Accordingly, firms that use foreign music works will also have to pay copyright fees.

The centre plans to collect music copyright fees from cafes, departments of transportation, supermarkets and restaurants in the near future.

(Source: VNE)


"Originality is undetected plagiarism." W. R. Inge

The tongue has the power of life and death

"People have inherent value and are to be honored no matter who they are."

Have you ever thought about the way you use your mouth and the results that you see from it? How the words you use affect both you and the others around you, which in turn produces results in your life, either positive or negative.

Here are 7 ways people sabotage themselves with their mouths and some ways to reverse that trend and create success for yourself.

Every time you open your mouth, is it the right thing to do?

With that said, here are the major problems people have with their mouths:

1. Gossip
This may be one of the most ubiquitous problems there is. People telling other people another person’s business. And it usually isn’t very good. Very rarely does anyone pass along “good gossip.”

The Result: Have you ever found out that someone passed along information about you? How did you feel? Exactly my point. Did you want to do business with them? Did you want to help them? Again, exactly my point. Stay away from the harmful effects of gossip, first for the other person’s sake, but ultimately for yours.

The Antidote: Never pass along gossip. If that person wants others to know, they will tell them. If you start a sentence with, “Did you hear about…” Chances are that you are walking on the edge. Watch your mouth!

2. Rumors
Rumors are even worse (if it can be so) than gossip because the person doesn’t even know if the information is true. Rumors are entirely reckless and do no good.

The Result: If you think people will dislike you, and stand in the way of your success, because of gossip, imagine how they will feel when they find out you were passing along untrue information about them! You will lose your friends pretty quickly.

The Antidote: If you choose to never gossip then you will never pass along rumors either, which is good! Make it your policy to only speak good of others, especially when speaking to others about people. The old saying is true: If you don’t have anything good to say about someone, don’t say anything at all! In other words - Watch your mouth!

3. Lying
It is strange to me how parents teach their children to always tell the truth but many of them have for themselves a skewed understanding of what it means to tell the truth. The average person feels it is okay to sometimes lie. The only problem with this is that lying, for whatever reason, can only do one thing: Break trust.

The Result: People will not trust you. They will wonder if you are telling the truth. They will stay away from you when they know they need to count on someone.

But even worse in my mind is that you will not be able to trust yourself. When we lie we teach ourselves that we are not trustworthy. The other person may never know, but we will. And ultimately that hurts us and stands in the way of our success.

The Antidote: Always tell the truth. But what if someone doesn’t like what I have to say? I didn’t say you have to be a jerk, but being an adult means developing relationships wherein you can tell the truth to someone, in a respectful way, and still have a relationship.

So yes, commit to speaking the truth to people at all times. If it is a tough situation, then do it with even more respect. Or, an alternative is to simply say, “I don’t feel comfortable talking about this.” In all things - Watch your mouth!

4. Put downs
Most normal people aren’t too bad at blatant put downs. Where I see more of a problem is the back-handed compliment. Or the behind-the-back put down. But still there are people who have no problem speaking in tones and words that put down others and degrade them, for whatever reason.

The Result: When you are a person who regularly puts down others, people will have the same reaction: The will run, not walk, from you. People simply do not want to be around others who speak this way.

And they will not only not help you along, they will, out of their hurt, actively oppose your advancement. So if you want to cut your success short, speak ill of others.

The Antidote: Only speak good of others. If they have a negative point, focus instead on the good points. Talk about their strengths, not their weaknesses. Tell them what is good about them, not what is bad about them. Watch your mouth!

5. Poor-mouthing
I am always amazed at what I call “Poor-mouthing.” Rich people do it. Poor people do it. This is when you talk about how poor you are and why you can’t afford anything. The actuality that I have found is that those who poor mouth CAN afford what they are talking about, they just don’t want to.

The Result: When people poor-mouth, a few things happen. First, you confirm your poverty mentality. This hurts you. Second, people begin to be disgusted by you, especially if they know how much you make and they think you should be able to afford it. They will begin to roll their eyes at you and disrespect you.

If we really can’t afford something, just don’t mention anything at all. The last thing is for someone to start playing the violins for our sob story.

The Antidote: Don’t talk about how you can’t afford something. What would you be trying to accomplish anyway? If you can’t afford something, keep quiet.

Now you may ask what to do if you are invited to something and you can’t afford it. Respectfully decline. You don’t owe anyone an excuse. Just apologize and say that you will be unable to attend but that you hope to do something with them in the near future. Keep positive and watch your mouth!

6. Bragging
You know the type. Every sentence begins with “I….” The guy whose middle name is “Let me tell you a story about myself.” The woman who has to top every story of yours. After a while all you hear is “Blah, blah, blah.” Bragging is usually based in insecurity and most people don’t even know they are doing it. That is unfortunate.

The Result: Braggers usually have a few different results. One, people try to cut them down to size. Two, they avoid them. Three, they may sit there looking attentive but are inside of their minds making plans for the weekend. It is all they can do to keep their eyes from rolling back in their head.

The Antidote: Humility. Start as few sentences as possible with “I.” Let somebody else’s story be the best one. Ask questions about other people for a change. If they try to turn the conversation onto you, turn it back on to them! Don’t brag - watch your mouth!

7. Cussing
Not much needs to be said here. We all know what this is. I am still surprised by how many people cuss and even in a business situation. In my mind, it simply is intolerable. I don’t know why someone would cuss anymore than tell an off-color joke, but they do.

The Result: People cringe. More than that, cussing makes people question your judgment. A boss will wonder whether or not you are going to offend someone when he sends you on a sales call. Or a business associate may be reticent to make an introduction to someone else for you. Cussing isn’t good. It makes you come off as crass and low class.

The Antidote: Keep your language clean. Squeaky clean. Keep all bad language out. The big question is: What will it hurt to keep it clean? But it can hurt to say something you may regret later. No one will complain because you can't talk well, but they may complain about your cussing. To put it another way - watch your mouth!


Checklist
Have you ever done a “watch your mouth” checklist and then worked on your weaknesses? If not, here is one for you:

Do you gossip?
Do you pass along or start rumors?
Do you lie?
Are you given to put-downs?
Do you poor-mouth?
Are you a braggart?
Do you cuss?
Do you bad signs?

Take some time to think about these things. If you can keep your mouth in good shape and not only avoid the bad ways of speaking but master the good ways of speaking, you will be well on your way to becoming a successful person!

Hey you - watch your mouth!

Because if you do, you will achieve your dreams!

This article is by Chris Widener

China; 60 Years On.

Pic: Todayonline

Good Goverance: The institution not the personality.

Famous advice on Ethics

"We have, in fact, two kinds of morality side by side: one which we preach but do not practise, and another which we practise but seldom preach." Bertrand Russell 1872-1970, British philosopher and mathematician

"To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage." Confucius 551BC - 479BC, Chinese philosopher, The Analects, Book II, Chapter XXIV

"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business." Henry Ford 1863 – 1947, American industrialist

"If ethics are poor at the top, that behavior is copied down through the organization." Robert Noyce, inventor of the silicon chip

"I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity an obligation; every possession a duty." John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 1839-1937, American entrepreneur

"There is no such thing as business ethics. There is only one kind - you have to adhere to the highest standards." Marvin Bower, former managing partner of McKinsey & Company

"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right." Isaac Asimow 1920 - 1992, Russian writer and scientist

"Corporation, n., An ingenious device for obtaining profit without individual responsibility." Ambrose Bierce 1842-1914, American columnist, The Devils Dictionary 1906

"The higher the buildings, the lower the morals." Noel Coward 1899-1973, English actor, dramatist, & songwriter

"Relativity applies to physics, not ethics." Albert Einstein 1879-1955; German-born American theoretical physicist

"We may pretend that we are basically moral people who make mistakes, but the whole of history proves otherwise." Terry Hands 1941-, British theatre and opera director

"You can get everything money will buy without a lick of character, but you can't get any of the things money won't buy-happiness, joy, peace of mind, winning relationships, etc. -- without character." Zig Ziglar

Work Hard, Play Hard.

"Is there a secret to success and failure? The answer is yes. You become what you think about." - Earl Nightingale

English will fragment into 'global dialects'

Professor David Crystal, one of the world's foremost experts on English, said people will effectively have to learn two varieties of the language - one spoken in their home country, and a new kind of Standard English which can be internationally understood.

The English spoken in countries with rapidly-booming economies, such as India and China, will increasingly influence this global standard, he said.

In future, users of global Standard English might replace the British English: "I think it's going to rain", with the Indian English: "I am thinking it's going to rain", Prof Crystal argues.

Prof Crystal said: "In language, numbers count. There are more people speaking English in India than in the rest of the native English-speaking world.

"Even now, if you ring a call centre, often it's an Indian voice you hear at the end of the phone. As the Indian economy grows, so might the influence of Indian English.

"There, people tend to use the present continuous where we would use the present simple. For example, where we would say: "I think, I feel, I see" a speaker of Indian English might say: "I am thinking, I am feeling, I am seeing". This way of speaking could easily become sexy and part of global Standard English."

"In Singapore for example, 'Singlish' is used on the streets but it involves so much Chinese that you and I wouldn't understand it."

Varieties of standard spoken English
Indian: He’s a real enthu guy.

British: That guy is really enthusiastic.

South African: Jislaaik, china, I was in a bit of a dwaal.

British: Gosh, my friend, I was in a bit of a daze.

Australian: Bring your bathers, chuck some stubbies in the esky and we’ll have a barbie this arvo.

British: Bring your swimming costume, put some beers in the cool box and we’ll have a barbecue this afternoon.

Singaporean/Singlish: Dis guy Singlish damn powerful one leh.

British: This person’s Singlish is very good.

Nigerian Pidgin: I no know wetin u dey yarn.

British: I don’t know what you are talking about.

Islander Creole (from Colombian islands of San Andrés and Providencia): Da wan gud ting se di pikniny dem laan fi riid an rait.

British: It is a good thing that the children learn to read and write.

Cockney rhyming slang: She has such long bacons and lovely minces.

British: She has such long legs and lovely eyes.

Txt speak: "D gr8st booty of r heritage S d en lgn, n itz r gr8st gft 2 d wrld"

British: "The greatest treasure of our heritage is the English language, and it is our greatest gift to the world."

Source: What new English dialects have you noticed?


"Even if you do learn to speak correct English, whom are you going to speak it to?" Clarence Darrow

10 Denials of Truth

WHY do people choose to deny truth? It really doesn’t matter what that particular truth is, some will deny it. It might be true that smoking is bad for their health, or that spending more than they earn will not make them rich, or that no nation can ever tax its way into prosperity. No matter what, there is always some who will deny the truth. Here are possibly the ten reasons:


1. People deny the truth because it makes demands of them.

2. People deny the truth because it isn’t scientific enough.

3. People deny the truth because it’s more comfortable (and easier) to believe a lie.

4. People deny the truth because they’re blinded.

5. People deny the truth because they think they’re the exception.

6. People deny the truth because they’re biased.
- Political bias - rhetorical
- Regency bias – seeing things or people in their most recent light
- Data Mining bias – looking for trends that really aren’t there
- Correlation/Causation bias – thinking things are causal just because they’re correlated
- Hindsight bias – thinking you “knew” it was going to happen that way and … it did!
- Status Quo bias – having an aversion to change
- Fear bias – fear of the unknown can cause you to deny truth

7. People deny the truth because they’re afraid of standing alone.

8. People deny the truth because they’re afraid of being judged or ridiculed.

9. People deny the truth because they’re afraid of being duped.

10. People deny the truth because it doesn’t fit with their preconceived notion of how the world works.

"If we ever hope to determine if there is such a thing as truth apart from cultural and personal preferences, we must acknowledge that we are then aiming to discover something greater than ourselves, something that transcends culture and individual inclinations. To do this is to look beyond ourselves and outside of ourselves." The Wisdom Journal (Adapted)

"There is no personal charm so great as the charm of a cheerful temperament." Henry Van Dyke

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." Mohandas Gandhi

"The superior man is modest in his speech, but excels in his action."

"[The superior man] acts before he speaks, and afterward speaks according to his actions."

"By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart."

Confucius

老师永远不教的50堂课!

第一课： 你得接受现实，生活本来就是不公平的。

第二课： 现实世界和学校不同，在这儿，没人那么在乎你的自尊。你得先有所成就，才有资格自我感觉良好。
第三课： 抱歉，你不可能中学毕业一年就年薪六万美金，也不可能当上副总经理还配有专车。很可能，你还得穿大路货的制服呢。
第四课： 你没资格……
第五课： 不管你老爸怎么说，你并不是真的公主。
第六课： 你不可能想要什么就有什么。
第七课： 等你有了老板，就知道当年的老师有多和蔼可亲了。
第八课： 别把精力都用于关注自己的小世界。
第九课： 学校里可能已经废除了优胜劣汰，但生活中可没有。
第十课： 生活就像是玩躲避球。

第十一课： 毕业之后，你们的竞争对手可不是那些童年的懦夫。
第十二课： “屈辱”是生活的一部分。你得接受它。
第十三课： 你不会进NBA的，所以别忙着佩戴那些亮闪闪的奢侈品，先努力干活吧！
第十四课： 穿得再辣，也不会让你更强大。
第十五课： 在快餐店里端盘子并不是什么丢人的事。在你爷爷那一辈，把这种工作称为“良机”。
第十六课： 你的父母和弟弟并不会给你丢人。真正丢人的是忘恩和无礼。
第十七课： 你出生前，父母可不像现在那么乏味。都是在为你付帐、来回接送、打扫你的房间、为你存学费、听你倾诉自己是个多么理想主义的人……这些琐事中消磨掉的。
第十八课： 现实生活可不是按学期算的，也根本没有暑假这回事儿。
第十九课： 如果你把事情搞砸了，那就得自己负责，别怨父母。

第二十课A： 抽烟看起来并不酷，反而让你像个白痴。
第二十课B： 即使你妈妈很厉害，校长很懦弱，你也不能想穿鼻环就穿鼻环、想干吗就干吗。
第二十一课： 有人冒犯你了？那又怎样？我是说真的，那又能怎么样？
第二十二课： 你算不上什么受害者，所以别再抱怨了！
第二十三课： 总有一天你必须长大、真正搬出父母的家。
第二十四课： 蝙蝠侠的女朋友说的没错儿：重要的不是你是谁，而是你做了什么。
第二十五课： “π”可不在乎你的想法。
第二十六课： “道德指南针”并不实际存在。
加课：“无用输入导致无用输出”，这句话不仅适用于你吃的东西，也适用于你的所看所听。
第二十七课： 别听下半身指挥。
第二十八课： 慎独。
第二十九课： 学会面对虚伪。

第三十课： 零姑息＝毫无常识。
第三十一课： 骨瘦如柴在现实中并不美。
第三十二课： 生活和电视剧是两码事。
第三十三课： 对那些老实的书呆子和气点儿，没准儿最后你得在人家手下打工呢。
第三十四课： 胜利者有一套自己的人生哲学，失败者亦然。
第三十五课： 要是你屁股太肥，麦当劳可没强迫你吃他们的巨无霸汉堡；要是你抽烟，那也不是万宝路的错。
第三十六课： 你不是刀枪不入、永生不死的。
第三十七课： 信息灵通不等于你对一切了如指掌。
第三十八课： 与人交流的时候，要注视对方的眼睛。
第三十九课： 黑白电影里演的很多都是真人真事。世界也不是从你出生那一刻才开始运转的。

第四十课： 那个斥资百万的项目简直是为了把你们变成猪脑子，学着清晰、有条理地思考吧。
第四十一课： 很多人都经历过你那些事，你不是第一个，也不是唯一一个。
第四十二课： 更换机油。
第四十三课： 不要让别人的成功打击自己。
第四十四课： 同事不一定要成为朋友，朋友也不是你的家人。
第四十五课： 大人们可能已经忘了你们这个年纪有多可怕。但你要记住：这都会过去的。
第四十六课： 记得去看看地下室里的豚鼠。
第四十七课： 你不完美，也不必变得完美。
第四十八课： 回顾一下自己的人生，抓住重点。
第四十九课： 别忘了说谢谢。
第五十课： 珍惜并享受现在的时光。

- Internet


"It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action." Al Batt

"Passive acceptance of the teacher's wisdom is easy to most boys and girls. It involves no effort of independent thought, and seems rational because the teacher knows more than his pupils; it is moreover the way to win the favour of the teacher unless he is a very exceptional man. Yet the habit of passive acceptance is a disastrous one in later life. It causes man to seek and to accept a leader, and to accept as a leader whoever is established in that position." Bertrand Russell

"Really big people are, above everything else, courteous, considerate and generous - not just to some people in some circumstances - but to everyone all the time." Thomas J. Watson

Which grads earn the most?

By LIEW HANQING

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.

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.

- TNP


"When we hire, we look for people who have the ability to be facile with numbers, but that's not the only thing...The ability to convey your thoughts succinctly and persuasively is extremely important. That's one of the things a liberal education teaches you to do...We also look for well-rounded people. Relationships are very important in our business. As you get more senior in the company you start dealing with CEOs and CFOs from other companies, most of whom tend to be very well educated. When you meet at a conference or in a non-business situation, it helps if you know something about the arts, architecture, music, history. You have to have a good product and be cost-competitive and do good work, but if you have all that and you're also intellectually curious and able to talk intelligently on subjects other than business, you often end up becoming good friends." Chris Malone '81, executive director at Morgan Stanley

"Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, but we will be judged by only one thing, the result." Vince Lombardi

"A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well." Jeff Bezos

Management Theories 101

By Fiona Chan

STARTING work can sometimes feel like you are required to learn a whole new language.

Decades of evolving management theories have spawned a corporate vocabulary that can be difficult to understand without serious study.

You may have heard of the Six Thinking Hats, but what about Six Sigma? Do you know the Blue Ocean strategy? Can you recount all the seven habits of highly effective people?

If you are drawing blanks, this is a good place to start. Here is a primer - or a refresher - on five of the most commonly referenced management theories and strategies in the business world today.

Six Thinking Hats
IT IS one thing to look at a topic from both sides, but Edward de Bono's widely used thinking tool aims to help people examine an issue from six individual perspectives.

The theory is that by putting on different 'hats', people can move outside their habitual way of thinking. You could try putting on a 'manager hat' - another favourite phrase - but it does not have quite the same effect.

The exercise starts by donning the white 'thinking' hat, which explores neutral information and factual data on an issue. Then you move on to the red 'feelings' hat, where emotions, hunches and intuition come out in the open.

The third hat is black, symbolising caution and pessimism, and forcing people to search for possible flaws and risks in a given approach. This is followed by the opposite view: the yellow hat, for positive thinking, benefits and compromise.

The last two hats are used to round off the discussion. First comes green, which stands for creative thinking out of the box, and is often applied to generate solutions for the problems thrown up during the black hat phase. Last is the blue 'big picture' hat, which is used at the start and end of each thinking session to set objectives and measure progress.

7 habits of highly effective people
A HUGE hit when it was first released in 1989, Stephen R. Covey's book on the seven habits of highly effective people has sold more than 15 million copies in almost 40 languages. This self-help tome outlines seven principles that lead to 'interdependence' - cooperation to achieve something that cannot be attained independently.

The first three habits are designed to move people from a state of 'dependence' to one of 'independence'. They are: 'Be proactive' (take responsibility for your life), 'Begin with the end in mind' (define a vision and set goals), and 'Put first things first' (focus on your highest priorities).

The next three habits supposedly bring the reader to 'interdependence': They are 'Think win/win' (find agreements that are mutually beneficial), 'Seek first to understand, then to be understood' (don't give out advice until you have properly listened to the other person), and 'Synergise' (value teamwork).

Finally, the last habit, 'Sharpen the saw', talks about living a balanced life. In 2004, Mr Covey banked on his popularity to come up with an eighth habit: 'Find your voice, and inspire others to find theirs'.

Several other authors have put forward their own 'seven habits', with varying success.

Blue Ocean Strategy
NOW used liberally by almost every entrepreneur, the phrase 'blue ocean' originated in a business strategy book by Insead professors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

Mr Kim and Ms Mauborgne differentiated between red and blue oceans, the former being all the industries already in existence today and the latter referring to all the unknown market space in the world.

Entrepreneurs are advised to identify blue oceans: markets and products not yet invented, in which they can create rather than fight for demand, grow rapidly, and set their own rules and boundaries.

Six Sigma
THIS quality management strategy was developed by Motorola and has been adopted by thousands of companies worldwide, including Sony, Samsung, HSBC and General Electric.

It aims to improve processes and eliminate defects, thus saving costs for companies. The goal is to make every project 'six sigma quality', which means that for every one million opportunities (or products), there are only 3.4 defects - in other words, the process is virtually perfect.

The employees within each firm who are tasked with implementing six sigma practices are known as champions, master black belts, black belts and green belts, in order of seniority.

Tipping Point
ONE of the more recent inventions of management theorists is Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point, which seeks to explain why some changes take place quickly, unexpectedly and on a large scale.

The tipping point is the moment at which previously small movements gain enough momentum to become a trend. Mr Gladwell's theory is that a new idea will take hold and become successful if a few key individuals endorse it, it is presented well enough to become 'sticky', and arises in a favourable environment.

This theory is not entirely novel, but Mr Gladwell crystallised it in a best-selling book published in 2000. Some criticised it for relying on too many random examples and not being substantive enough, but it has gained significant traction in management-speak.

- ST


"A good manager is one who doesn't worry about his/her own career but rather those who work for him/her." HSM Burns

"You cannot tailor make the situations in life, but you can tailor make the attitudes to fit those situations before they arise." Zig Ziglar

Singapore Botanical Gardens - 150th Birthday

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." Eleanor Roosevelt




"Pleasure is the flower that passes; remembrance, the lasting perfume." Jean de Boufflers

It's all in your mind

"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." Galileo Galilei

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." Carlos Castaneda

"Knowledge can be communicated but not wisdom. "Herman Hesse

'I will continue to teach until I can't'

BEN TRE, VIETNAM - "I will continue to teach students in my hometown until I can't."

For 84-year-old Tran Ngoc Anh of Ben Tre Province's Mo Cay District, teaching is akin to breathing. He has been doing it non-stop for 30 years. And his passion for teaching is matched only by his willingness to learn.

Nguyen Thi Suong, principal of My Hung Primary School in Thanh Phu District, says: "Mr Anh is a diligent and enthusiastic teacher who loves his students very much.

"He always learns new things from his colleagues and other sources to enrich his knowledge and uses it for his teaching. I'm very lucky to have been taught by him."

Anh graduated from high school in 1943 under the French curriculum, but he was unable to continue his studies because of many problems in his life then.

Many years later, he joined the resistance war against the French. He returned home in 1954 and focused on taking care of his family - his wife and two children.

Anh began teaching and continued his studies at the Sai Gon Lecturer's University a year later. After graduation, he taught literature at the Thanh Phu High School in Ben Tre Province, going on to become its principal from 1969 to 1973.

Twenty years later, he retired at the age of 65, but two years on, in 1995, he opened his first class, teaching English.

Despite learning under the French curriculum, he had been taught English for two years, and he was ready to build on that.

At the age of 74, Anh would ride his bicycle to teach English in the morning and learn it in the evening at the Ben Tre Foreign Language Centre.

He smiles as he recalls: "Several teachers and students who could be my grandchildren were very surprised when they saw a man over 70 years old go to school."

After three years of study, Anh became much more proficient in English, and began teaching the language in right earnest.

"I have to make teaching plans which help students understand lessons quickly."

He now teaches English to about 20 students, ranging from beginners to ninth-grade students. He also receives a few high school students sometimes.

Many people who have studied English under him have succeeded in life. Some of them are studying at Dong Thap Province's University of Pedagogy and Can Tho City's University and others have become teachers.

Anh is one of the first teachers in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre to receive the Viet Nam Medal for the Cause of Education.

Apart from teaching, Anh is also a poet. His poems about education have been published on local art magazines.

Someone once said: You don't grow old. You become old when you stop growing.

At 84, Anh has not stopped growing.

- Vietnam News/Asia News Network

Employers are demanding better English skills to cope with new challenges in the business environment By Dao Phuong Mai, a teacher of English at the Hanoi-based University of Commerce.

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." Derek Bok

Babies who gesture have bigger vocabularies

CHICAGO, Reuters (Adapted) - Babies who use many gestures to communicate when they are 14 months-old have much larger vocabularies when they start school than those who don't, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

They said babies with wealthier, better-educated parents tend to gesture more and this may help explain why some children from low-income families fare less well in school.

"When children enter school, there is a large socioeconomic gap in their vocabularies," said the University of Chicago's Meredith Rowe, whose study appears in the journal Science.

Gestures could help explain the difference, Rowe told the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Chicago.

Vocabulary is a key predictor of school success. Earlier research showed that well-off, educated parents tend to talk to their children more than their poorer, less-educated peers.

"What we are doing here is going one step earlier and asking, does this socioeconomic status relate to gesture, and can that explain some of the gap we see at school entry." Rowe said.

"I don't think of myself as a poor deprived ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as somebody who from an early age knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good." Oprah Winfrey

Most people don’t conduct their day rationally, instead they go about their day based on feelings. They live from feeling to feeling, like stepping on stones while trying to cross a river. The only question is, “Which stone is the closest to me now?” The end result is that they never really cross the stream, but they made a lot of effort! Doesn’t effort count for anything?

"Success is not measured by what you do compared to what others do, it is measured by what you do with the ability God gave you." Zig Ziglar

I am cybernetic human HRP-4C

Japanese researchers have showed off a robot that will soon strut its stuff down a Tokyo catwalk.

The girlie-faced humanoid with slightly oversized eyes, a tiny nose and a shoulder length hair boasts 42 motion motors programmed to mimic the movements of flesh-and-blood fashion models.

"Hello everybody, I am cybernetic human HRP-4C," the futuristic fashionista said, opening its media premiere at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology outside Tokyo.

The fashion-bot is 158 centimetres tall, the average height of Japanese women aged 19 to 29, but weighs in at a waif-like 43 kilograms, including batteries.

She has a manga-inspired human face but a silver metallic body.

"If we had made the robot too similar to a real human, it would have been uncanny," one of the inventors, humanoid research leader Shuji Kajita said.

"We have deliberately leaned toward an anime style."

The institute said the robot "has been developed mainly for use in the entertainment industry" but is not for sale at the moment.

Hamming it up before photographers and television crews, the seductive cyborg struck poses, flashed bright smiles and pouted sulkily according to commands transmitted wirelessly from journalists via bluetooth devices.

The performance fell short of flawless when it occasionally mixed up its facial expressions - a mistake the inventors put down to a case of the nerves as a hail of camera shutters confused its sound recognition sensors.

The preview was a warm-up for the robot's appearance at a Tokyo fashion show on March 23.

Like its real-life counterparts, robot model HRP-4C commands a hefty price - the institute said developing her cost more than 200 million yen (US$3 million).
- AFP

"The product of the human brain has escaped the control of human hands. This is the comedy of science." Rossum, in Karel Capek's play R.U.R.

"If you do not speak English, I am at your disposal with 187 other languages along with their various dialects and sub-tongues." Robby the Robot (Forbidden Planet)

"The old believe everything; the middle-aged suspect everything; the young know everything." Oscar Wilde

Why we think it's OK to cheat and steal (sometimes)

Why you should listen to him: Despite our best efforts, bad or inexplicable decisions are as inevitable as death and taxes and the grocery store running out of your favorite flavor of ice cream. They're also just as predictable. Why, for instance, are we convinced that "sizing up" at our favorite burger joint is a good idea, even when we're not that hungry? Why are our phone lists cluttered with numbers we never call? Dan Ariely, behavioral economist, has based his career on figuring out the answers to these questions, and in his bestselling book Predictably Irrational (which will be re-released in expanded form in May 2009), he describes many unorthodox and often downright odd experiments used in the quest to answer this question.

Ariely has long been fascinated with how emotional states, moral codes and peer pressure affect our ability to make rational and often extremely important decisions in our daily lives -- across a spectrum of our interests, from economic choices (how should I invest?) to personal (who should I marry?). At Duke, he's aligned with three departments (business, economics and cognitive neuroscience); he's also a visiting professor in MIT's Program in Media Arts and Sciences and a founding member of the Center for Advanced Hindsight. His hope that studying and understanding the decision-making process can help people lead better, more sensible daily lives.
"If you want to know why you always buy a bigger television than you intended, or why you think it's perfectly fine to spend a few dollars on a cup of coffee at Starbucks, or why people feel better after taking a 50-cent aspirin but continue to complain of a throbbing skull when they're told the pill they took just cost one penny, Ariely has the answer." Daniel Gross, Newsweek

About the video, one comment...
"It seems there are two forces at work. One is the individual's propensity to bend his moral code, to justify advantageous behavior that he knows is "wrong". M. Ariely points out that certain cues can strengthen or loosen this propensity, for e.g., loosening via the reward be an abstraction (tokens or pencils vs money), or strengthening by virtue of posting a reminder of morality (for e.g. agreeing to an ethics code).

The second (related) element, that he hints at with the Carnegie Mellon experiment, is the flexibility or shifting of one's moral lattice structure in a group setting, more commonly known as the "everyone's doing it..." justification (or it's sibling effect, where it's not the group that's the powerful force but the leader/idol/hero figure, etc.). It would be interesting to see the relative strength of one versus the other - what happens when you're reminded of your moral code in an environment where you know everyone else is cheating. My guess is that the second trumps the first, which is why mob mentality is so powerful and prevalent. I would also attribute the wholesale irresponsibility in the stock market to this second element, rather than the first." Farhad Farzaneh

"When you let somebody be dishonest, you are setting him up to become physically ill and unhappy." "When you let a person give nothing for something, you are factually encouraging crime." L. Ron Hubbard

"Someone who thinks the world is always cheating him is right. He is missing that wonderful feeling of trust in someone or something." Eric Hoffer

"I would prefer even to fail with honor than to win by cheating" Sophocles

"It is impossible for a man to be cheated by anyone but himself." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something." Henry David Thoreau

"Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won't cheat, then you know he never will." John D. MacDonald

The real crisis? We stopped being wise

Chúng tôi dừng khôn ngoan 我们停止了明智


"The darkest hour of a man's life is when he sits down to plan how to get money without earning it." Horace Greeley

"Every decision you make - every decision - is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do." Neale Donald Walsch

"Learn from everyone, and follow no one."‏

The Oscar Robertson Rule

It was 1960. The Olympics were going to be held in Rome. And the USA was sending its best amateur players. The 1960 US men's Olympic basketball team may be the best amateur basketball team ever assembled.

Ten of the twelve team members would go on to careers in the NBA. Four of them, Jerry West, Walt Bellamy, Jerry Lucas, and Oscar Robertson would be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

They won every game they played, averaging 101.4 points per game. Their average margin of victory was 42 points. Big margins were important, because, in those days, the Olympic rules used victory margin as part of the ranking system. That wasn't all that was different from what the players were used to from the US. The foul lanes were different. Contact rules were different. Even the ball was different. The Olympic ball had a giant seam in it.

The first practice something of a gripe session.

As Coach Pete Newell explained the rules, the complaint level rose. Everybody seemed to be complaining except for Oscar Robertson. He quietly picked up the strange new ball and wandered to the far end of the court. He bounced it, handled it in different ways, shot, and dribbled.

As the complaints started to die down, Robertson walked back to join his teammates. "I know how we can make this work," he said. Then he started showing the others what he'd learned about handling that ball with the great big seam.

These are tough times. When you're confronted with a situation you can't do anything about, you have two choices. You can spend time complaining. Or you can look for a way to deal with the situation.

Remember the Oscar Robertson Rule: You'll do better in sports, in business, and in life if you get to work on "what to do" as soon as possible.

- Wally Bock


"There is no eternal enemy in this world, neither are there friends forever. I do hope friends can be forever, but there is definitely no eternal enemy... it is meaningless to keep talking about the past when we are moving forward." Nicholas Tse

I want to make late dad proud

HE made history in his junior college by becoming the first student to score seven straight As in the A-level examinations.

"Life is about growth. There's just no staying still. We're either moving backward or forward all the time."

CLUELESS: Ming Da looking composed before the school named him as top JJC student.
Yet, while the vice-principal was lauding his achievement when the results were released yesterday, Tok Ming Da, 18, began to cry.

For his is a story of determination and resilience in the face of tragedy and adversity.

What should have been his happiest day was tempered by the sudden death of his father from a heart attack last September, just six weeks before he sat for the exams.

The Jurong JC (JJC) student found it hard to come to terms with the shock loss as his father had seemed to be in good health.

But rather than mope, Ming Da decided to use the memory of his father to motivate him for the exams.

When his touching story was told to his college mates yesterday, many of them were inspired by his success, but also red-eyed over his loss.

As vice-principal Chua Lek Hong put it, Ming Da is a testament to how anyone, no matter how old, can overcome all odds to achieve great success.

When Mr Chua mentioned his family tragedy, the boy couldn't help but shed a few tears, as his friend passed him a piece of tissue paper.

SAD: He turn tearful when the vice-principal relates his story to the school.
Ming Da topped the JC's previous record of six As by getting As in all his seven subjects - General Paper, economics, mathematics, physics, chemistry, project work and Chinese.

'I did it to make him proud,' said the soft-spoken boy, referring to his father, Mr Tok Khoon Hee. He was 55.

Recalling the tragedy, he told The New Paper: 'He woke up at 3am and started coughing non-stop. He complained that he couldn't see very well.

'We rushed him to the hospital but his condition worsened very quickly. His heart stopped but the emergency crew managed to get it pumping the first time. But it stopped again and we had to let go.'

His father had run an automation company. His mother is a housewife and his sister, 28, who had just become a teacher, became the sole breadwinner.

Said Ming Da: 'My father was the one with a true resilient spirit. He dropped out of school after O levels, did odd jobs here and there and made it to run his own company recently.

'Even though he didn't do A-level maths, he was a maths genius and helped me a lot with my homework.'

- TNP

"Don't be distracted by criticism. Remember - the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you." Zig Ziglar

"Change one's mindset and boost one's ability. Do not hold onto thoughts that 'things will always be like that'. One must always be true to one's word and determined in deed. Be realistic - it is better to have tried and failed than not to try at all." Claire Chiang

"One day at a time - this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone: and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering." Ida Scott Taylor