My Zoe-fied Life

touched by His grace, my life has truly been transformed

Friday, June 30, 2006

Interning at Grey Global Group, Asia Pacific

Thank God It's Friday!!!

:) :) Very glad that this week has been quite a breeze at work. :) For the last two weeks, I have been working on website testing and bug reporting for the new intranet launched for the the Asia Pacific team. Can you believe it? I'm back to doing 'engineering' work again...Well, the tech girl was away on holidays, and my bosses are both non-techies, strictly industrial advertising executives, so...the task to test sites and talk to engineers to fix bugs lay on me - Janet Neo who was once an engineering intern in the Silicon Valley!!

Honestly, I decided to go with a marketing and business development internship in the advertising industry because I wanted to take a break from the techie environment. LOL...but even in this industry, it seemed that there is NO way I can run away from using my tech skills. :P

Working in a MNC with approx. 10+K employees worldwide is quite an eye-opening experience. There are so many subsidies within the same companies and even company alliances, that I was rather unsure how do things get done in a MNC. Seems very complicated at first glance!

I have not met my CEO of the Asia Pacific Region. His name is Mike Amour. Someone told me that he's a french. Many gave him a really cozy, singaporeanized name, "Mike ANG MOH". haha...It's funny. haha...

The experience working in a big firm has been enjoyable so far...Nice colleagues, mostly young people in their 20s...incidentally, my supervisor was from st nicks. the other intern was also from st nicks! hehe :) St Nick Rules!

I will be meeting Aihui and Charlie, my bay area singaporean friends, to chill out this evening. :) Haven't seen them for awhile...Am also glad that my darlings, kaiting, michelle and gwen, are also coming back to singapore sooooooooooooon!!! We need a REAL welcome back party!

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

A visit to the dentist

My upper left wisdom tooth was 'fully erupted' according to my dentist. Eeks! No wonder I have been in alot of pain the last few days. My wisdom tooth was giving me ulcer :( Boohoo... Really thank God I got it pulled out this afternoon.

I was supposed to be doing a mobile phone market tele survey for the next 3 weeks, starting today...but for some reasons, andrew called me early this morning and postponed the starting day till tomorrow(tues). Thank God for that...so I could visit the dentist, pulled out the tooth, and have sometime to rest. I was concerned if my mouth's gonna be so swelled up that I'd have problems talking but so far, it's not that bad. :)

I asked the dentist if I could keep my wisdom tooth, and she put it in a small container for me. I am pretty surprised how big the tooth was...spent a couple of hours 'admiring' my tooth. lol... alittle silly isn't it? Well, maybe I am...after all, it's the first time I had my wisdom tooth extracted...and I know it won't be the last. The dentist said that I have 4 wisdom teeth. The upper right one will be 'fully erupted' soon. The ones at the bottom are not growing out well and are mostly hidden under my gums. Hmm.. I supposed that is an explicit hint that I'd have to have them pull out soon.

:I

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Summer is here!

My apologies for not updating my blog for the past weeks!

Updates on Worldsmart Program (www.worldsmart.org)
As many of you know, I've been accepted into the program early this year and I am really overjoyed because this is my dream! To travel, perform as part of cultural exchange and do community work! So I decided to raise approx. US$15,000 to set off for this program. It's a huge amount, I know, but I will just go with the flow and enjoy the fundraising process as my way of submitting to God's guidance.

Good news: After 2- 3 months of steady patience, UpwithPeople Organisation awarded me two scholarships, US$3000 and US$2000, so I have a total of US$5000 scholarship from them! Praise God! :)

Further plans:
1. Will be applying for more grants from various organisations. Possible ones include USP, NUS alumni, NUS FASS, National Youth Council, and Lee foundation. If you know of any organisations that I can apply for grants, please let me know! :)

2. Get a Summer Job as a way to raise funds.

3. Build a website for online fundraising. Hope that it can spread my dream across the globe and pray for God's angels to bless me financially.


Updates on School
Well, I finished my exams on 4th May and have been taking it easy. :) Student life is about to end soon for me. After much thoughts and enquiries, I decided to will opt out of the honors program and graduate in Dec 2006. I must say, it wasn't an easy choice, because as you know, Singapore is soooooo into paper qualifications. Many jobs even specify please do not apply if you do not have at least a 2nd upper honors degree. Anyway, God has showed me many signs that I should graduate without an honors in peace and not be worried about where He will lead me to.
So alright, I figured it is better that way. :)

Updates about career plans
This can be a stressful question to think about. Honestly, for some reasons, I feel rather lost after coming back from the bay area. My entire perspective about what I want, what makes me happy and what is beneficial for my future have changed. Then of course, there are questions like 'will I get used to the work culture in Singapore?', 'how far do I want to integrate myself back to Singapore?', 'people work too much here and have no life bcos work is draining.' Cant help but to think about all these... So I decided that I want to cast this aside and let God do the thinking for me. Just look around, explore different potential jobs, talk to people, find out more...and see how it goes.

Update about attending caregroup
It has been pretty wonderful and certainly very helpful in helping me to readjust back to Singapore. Frankly, the readjustment process is unexpectedly long but i think it's normal. It has been 4 months for me. I remember desmond told me he took 6 months to get used to Singapore, so I'm doing just fine :) Anyway, just as I worked on reconciling certain issues with God, I got to know an incredible friend, Alvin, from the caregroup and it really set me free from the kind of questions I have in my mind about why my life was so freaking screwed up at some point in time in cali.

Other than that, God has been showing me what to focus on for this season - the season of breakthrough through learning how to live wisely. On sunday, I felt like going to the bookstore and ended up buying myself a study guide on proverbs which was totally unplanned. I read abit about proverbs that night and on monday, I studied proverbs 9. Two days ago, felt so drawn to read the proverbs again, this time, I read the entire book of proverbs in one afternoon. This has never happened before. How can I read so much just like that?? it's the bible! LoL...Must be the Spirit of God, I say. What do you think? The biggest takeaway was that I understood the importance of learning, drilling and grounding ourselves in the Word of God for His wisdom will be our protection, health and wealth. We can have faith in God, but without His wisdom, christians can also be hurt by the stupid or dangerous choices that they make. So this is very, very important. If you want to be smart, yes, I want to be smart, so I am dedicating myself to learn about how to live wisely for this year.

Last night, I went for a christian concert by Curtis Chapman in my church's auditorium. It was incredibly moving and awesome. Check it out www.stevencurtischapman.com

Monday, April 10, 2006

NUS and many sleepless nights

Can't remember how many sleepless nights I have since the start of March madness!

Just finished my financial scholarship application, wrote 3 long essays! Really tired now...

Got to remember to mail my US tax filing by tomorrow! Learnt an interesting lesson on US taxes pertaining to foreign aliens over the weekend. hehe :)

Too much admin work this weekend...Thank God for the strength to persevereeeeeeeeeeeee

Friday, March 24, 2006

My first care group meeting

Just came back from my first caregroup meeting and I know I've to note this very special moment down.

I feel empowered by God's love.

I think this is what my heart yearns for... genuine fellowship. It is in God that I find my power!

I shared a few things with the group and it helped me realized some really powerful messages that God wants me to know:

1. There are some things you just cannot compromise. One of them is God and His words.

2. When you face your vulnerabilities and brokeness, God appears.

3. A child without a Father is a child without love, hope and faith.

During the caregroup meeting, I wasn't sure if it's just me... I felt the strong presence of God as the group shared their stories. I noticed that most people are rather passive in stepping up to share their faith, not sure if it's just today but I am definitely looking forward to more caregroup sessions and hear of God's works in others' lives.

I am back on track. I am. :)

10 Love Mistakes Women Make with Men

The 10 Most Dangerous Mistakes YOU Probably MakeWith Men- And What To Do About It...

An email from a friend. Interesting to read if you dont want to break your heart again. :)



Here Are The Top Reasons Why Women Cheat ThemselvesOut Of Living The Love Life Of They're Dreams- AndHow To Make Sure You Avoid Every One Of Them...


Mistake #1) Betting Your Love-Life On His "Potential"
Do you know any women who want the manthey're dating to behave differently?
Of course you do. And just like me, I'm sure you have friendswho date guys who don't have much going for themor who don't treat them very well. Somehow these women always have an excusefor the guy's shortcomings. What's going on here? It's actually very simple. Women (and men) don't base their choices ofmen on how "nice" or "good" someone is to themday-to-day.

Women choose the men they do because theyfeel a powerful GUT LEVEL ATTRACTION for them.

And guess what?

Some women will continue to put up with aguy that doesn't treat them very well. Sometimes for months or years... But why in the world would a woman do that!? Well, to put it simply, they confuse thestrong attraction they feel for the guy witha deeper "connection". Women who do this are doomed to end upin failed relationships with the "wrong" guys. How do I know? Because I've seen it at least a hundredtimes... And because I've been this guy in the past myself.

Thinking back on past dating and relationshipsI've had, I was selfish and didn't offer much. I'm amazed the women put up with me. But they did...all the while hoping thatI would somehow change.

The women I dated hoped I'd change. The only thing they saw in me that ledthem to want to keep me around was the "potential"they saw in me to share my feelings and communicatewith them. The potential for something better andthe potential for me to change and be a betterlover, boyfriend, companion or whatever... The truth was, I was hopelessly bad at thesethings at the time. And more importantly, I wasn't even at a placein my life where I knew how to or was interestedin developing a deep and committed relationship -with ANYONE.


But deep down these women believed that ifthey tried hard enough, that it would make upfor what was lacking.

They believed that I could become someone elsewith them.... and that this would be easy for usboth. Talk about a losing battle. I don't make a lot of "logical" sense...

But until you accept that lots of women dothis AND that YOU could be doing it on some level,you'll NEVER have the success with men that youchoose and want.

Mistake #2) Assuming You "Get" Men & Their Psychology

Men are different from women. You need to accept this fact, and deal with it.

When a woman sees a man, she can very quicklypick apart certain things about his style, bodylanguage, status and character that will tell herall kinds of things about him. Lot's of women don't even consciously see thatthey do this because the process is so obvious andsimple for them.

But does the same apply for men?

As you probably already know, men are generallymore visual. As a result, they often don't understandnon-verbal communication as well as women. And men often lack what women have in emotionalawareness and "intuition".

Women don't seem to remember this about men. So do men feel sexually attracted to w0menbased just on looks? Or is something else going on? Well, after studying this topic for years now,and talking to thousands of men and women, I cantell you that men have their "attraction mechanisms"triggered by things OTHER than looks. Especially when it comes to longer termrelationships.

Looks just happen to be the most obvious way... But looks are NOT the most powerful.

If you know how to use your body language ANDcommunication correctly, you can make men feelthe same kind of powerful sexual attraction toyou that YOU feel when you see that hot, greatlooking guy that you got to know. But it's not an accident.

You have to LEARN how to do this. And ANY woman can learn how...

Mistake #3) Pretending To Be Something For A Man

In the desire to please a man, women are constantly doing things to get a man's attention,to get him to like them or to make him more attracted or in love with them.

Another HORRIBLE idea.

Lots of women mistakenly think that doing unusual things to try and get a guys attentionwill make him magically see what a great catch they are and want to be with them.

Wrong.

Men YOU TRULY WANT are never attracted tothe types of women who kiss up to them, makeweak plays for affection or complain to getwhat they want... EVER.

Don't get me wrong here. Things like beingsexy for a man or encouraging him to share hisfeelings can be good, but it has to be genuine,unselfish, and most of all timely.

You don't have to act like an "easy" womanfor men to like you, and you certainly don't haveto play like he's some gift to the Earth.


Doing these things actually works to subtly,at an subconscious level, lower your social statuswith a man, which has EVERYTHING to do with howhe sees you as a woman. So if you think that making him more attractedto you means "playing to the man's fantasies" fromthe start, think again.

You'll never succeed by looking for a man'sapproval, finding your way into his heart throughsex and not being yourself.

Mistake #4) Sharing How You "Feel" Too Early With Him

Another huge and unfortunate mistake thatmost women make with men is sharing how they"feel" too early on.

Listen... Attractive, single, successful men are rare.

They get a LOT of attention from women. Most women don't realize this, but attractive menare being approached in one way or another all thetime by women.

And guess what?

Attractive wen have usually dated a lot of women. That's right. They have EXPERIENCE. They know what to expect. And one thing that turns an attractive men offand sends him running away faster than just aboutanything... It's a woman who starts saying "You know, I really,REALLY like you" after one or two dates.

This signals to the man that you're just likeone of those "clingy" stereotype women who wantto rush into a relationship and can't controlyourself from wanting a man to fulfill them andcomplete their lives.

This does NOT spell ATTRACTION for a man. Don't do it. Lean back. Relax. There's a much better way...

Mistake #5) Misreading The Important "Signals" That Men Send

Men are constantly communicating how theyfeel about a woman and giving away big secretsabout themselves. Most women don't pay attention to thesesignals or recognize them for what they reallyare.

The signals men send have 4 main levels:

1) Social: Where the man is at in his own life -stability, confidence, direction
2) Emotional: Whether or not he's "emotionally available"
3) Physical: If he's attracted to you and forwhat reasons
4) Love State: If he's open to building and growinga relationship in the future

The funny thing is that men send signals inthese areas completely on accident. That's great news to women.... Men can't help it!

You need to learn to recognize these signals toget anywhere with a man.

Mistake #6) Relying On Your Natural Ability To JudgeA Man's Character

People aren't easy to figure out. Especially the opposite sex. The last several years of my life I'vespent hundreds of hours learning to understandpeople. I've studied peoples behavior, "innerpsychology" and more specifically how theythink and act when they're dating.


From what I've seen, both men and womenhave their own secret ways of saying things. But you can only see these secretcommunications if you know what to look for.

Women communicate with hints, bodylanguage, sarcasm, and flirting when they'refirst getting to know a man. They can either directly or indirectlylet men know if they're open to somethingmore serious.

Men are different. Men generally communicate with sarcasm,humor, cockyness and other "indirect" displaysof status. Very rarely will a man be able to honestlycommunicate to a woman whether or not he'sready or capable of developing a meaningfulrelationship. Aside from their sexual interests, mensend very indirect signals about where they'reat.

If you don't know how to read through thesignals men send, then you'll get the wrongmessage. Getting the wrong messages from men causeswomen more pain and heartache than any otherissue around.

You can avoid this pain if you learn toindentify a good man from a bad one.

Mistake #7) Expecting A Relationship To Make You Happy

A mistake I've seen women make is thinkinga guy will change her life and make her happyand fulfilled. And sure, there are situations and relationshipswhere this happens.

But those are the exceptions, not the rule.

Nothing says "Run!" to a man faster thanhearing or sensing that a woman immediatelywants him to take care of her.

And the men who ARE looking for this kindof situation aren't exactly the most healthy,loving, nurturing people out there.

Think, "controlling, macho or serious Mom Issues!" So let me be clear....

I think it's important that people helpfulfill each other in their lives, whetherit's dating, a relationship, etc. But if a woman communicates that she'slooking for a guy to take care of her, completeher, make her whole, and all that kind ofstuff - it has a VERY negative effect on whatthe man will think of her. It doesn't have to be spoken by the womaneither... If a woman thinks or feels this way, the manwill see it and pick up on it, regardless. This is arguably the worst thing a womancan do early on when dating a man.

So what can you do as a woman?

You can get the man interested and involvedin your life in a more "natural" way, wherehe'll be motivated to make you care about yourhappiness and fulfillment on his own.


This is the only way it really works forpeople - male or female.

Self-motivation is much stronger than externalmotivation. But you have to know how to create this situationwith a man....and it rarely happens by accident.

Mistake #8) Trying To "Convince" Him To Like You Or Love You

What do most women do when they meet a manthat they REALLY like... but he's just notthat interested or isn't as serious?

Right! They try to "convince" the man tofeel differently.

Well, I have news for you... YOU WILL NEVER CHANGE HOW A MAN "FEELS" WHENIT COMES TO ATTRACTION!

Never, ever, ever.

You cannot convince a man to feel differentlyabout you with "logic and reasoning". Think about it. If a man doesn't "feel it" for you, how inthe world do you expect to change that by being"reasonable" with him? But we all do it.

Men are the worst at this by the way. They're always complimenting women whodon't like them and buying them gifts. Women like the behavior sometimes, but itNEVER makes the woman like the man. She might enjoy what she gets out of it,but it doesn't change the way she FEELSabout him. When a man just isn't interested, womenwill try and chase, compliment, convince anddo their best to change his mind with logicaland rational approaches. Bad idea. Another one that will never work.

Mistake #9) Not Knowing What To Do In Each Type Of Situation

A man has a clear idea of what he wants from a woman...

And I don't mean just sex. I know, it might be hard to believe, butif you're out on a date with a man, he alreadyhas an idea of what he wants from you. And if you don't know HOW to find this out,and you just sit there looking at him and flirting,or trying things you think will make him want you,he won't help!

If you don't know what to do in each situation,you'll probably screw it up... and LOSE EVERYTHING.


Mistake #10) Not Getting Help

This is the biggest mistake of all. This mistake keeps women from EVER havingthe kind of success and finding the kind ofman and relationship that they truly want. I know, you don't like to make yourselflook weak or helpless. We don't like to askfor help.

Friday, March 17, 2006

Congratulations, Janet Neo!

YAY! I just received an email that I got into the WorldSmart Program!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! www.worldsmart.org

haha!! YAY YAY!
(^_^)

I found the only professor in NUS who does social networks 2 days ago and he is Prof Albert Teo!!!! haha... Well, I seriously reconsidering about not doing honors.

Friday, March 10, 2006

The irony behind rationalism

Do you know what's the most dangerous virus in a modern capitalist society like Singapore?


It is the "spirit" of MONEY. The desire to climb up the corporate ladder, to buy big cars, big houses and big everything... Who hasn't feel this pressure to EXCEL?

I had been reading alot on Marx and Weber. Read about Capitalism, Alienation, False Class Consciousness, The Protestant Ethics and the spirit of Capitalism, Different types of rationality, and the Iron Cage of Rationality. It is eye-opening to draw so many parallels in their theories to our society today. Whether we are aware or not, we are in a Capitalist society, and therefore, we are all alienated. False consciousness make us think that because we get better wage, better this and that, we are not separated from the self. It is really a fallacy if we understand the theories behind Capitalism.

Interestingly, from my sociology of education class, I am beginning to see how the Singapore education system subscribes to the 'eugenics' ideology: Let us filter the smarts by streaming, exams, and academic grades. Let us groom the smarts to be future leaders of Singapore by giving them scholarships. Let us worship the smarts. May they leave their legacy for generations to come.

This ideology is seriously pervasive in our society, don't you agree? The hunger and thirst to reach the Number 1 goal: To be a "smartie". Who hasn't feel the push of this ideology dragging them to slave for the ultimate grades and the ultimate jobs? Being a 'smartie' justifies every single reason that one DESERVES to be a good worker, a good boss, and a good leader. It's so rational, isn't it?

Weber taught us about the Iron Cage of Rationality that arises from one's excessive rationalism. When one is so focused on being rational, he becomes irrational. The danger that lies behind this ideology is that it dehumanizes the 'smarties' who do not have strong values about the meaning and purpose of life. It is easy to sight of what life is about when we are surrounded by the air of prestige and the seduction of material goods.

Can we count on rationality to guide us in life?