Chen Chow

6th World Youth Congress

2011-11-05T17:11:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Krista for sharing on this 6th World Youth Congress!

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Hi all,

The application process for the 6th World Youth Congress by Peace Child International is open now. Check put the website:http://wycrio2012.org/ .
Deadline: *31st December 2011.*

The Congress will bring together hundreds of young people (age 18-30)*from around the world. They will include young development
activists, young media professionals, young educators, young artists, young entrepreneurs, young health professionals, disadvantaged young people, young athletes for development, virtual delegates, and young environmentalists.

The Main criteria for selection will be evidence that you have done something significant in your community – which has shown leadership, invention, initiative, drive and determination to succeed.

All delegates will have the chance to meet many development / sustainability experts, academics, politicians, artists and diplomats in the Round Table discussions, the opening and closing plenaries, the skills workshops and the Action Projects.

Moreover, many young people who do not have the opportunity to attend the congress in person, will have the chance to listen to the plenaries, attend workshops and debates, pose questions and help draft documents as virtual delegates.

Dont miss this chance! See you there!

Regards,

George Ndungu,

Organisation of African Youth (www.oayouth.org)
Partner organization in the Road to Rio+20 Project (www.*roadtorio*plus20.org)

University of Pennsylvania Admission Sharing

2011-10-25T10:02:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Donald Lim for the following information.

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The University of Pennsylvania Office of Undergraduate Admissions and The Secondary School Committee of Malaysia cordially invite you and your parents to join us for an Introduction to Pennsylvania

Mr. Donald Lim, Chairperson, Alumni Secondary School Committee Malaysia and University alumni will be present. A film of campus life will also be viewed.

Saturday, 29th October, 2011 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur

Cempaka-Raya Room, Mezzanine Floor

Jalan Sultan Ismail

50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

R.S.V.P. by October 27 to rsvppenn@gmail.com

Steve Jobs Stanford University 2005 Commencement Speech - "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish"

2011-10-09T13:34:00.001+08:00

Thanks Mei Tzy for sharing on this Steve Jobs Stanford University 2005 Commencement Speech - "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish"

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA

2nd Malaysia Sudoku Championship

2011-10-04T09:26:00.001+08:00

Gotten this from Yee Dian

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It will soon be the time of the year when the Malaysia Sudoku Society will be organizing the MALAYSIA SUDOKU CHAMPIONSHIP. It will be held on 26~27th November 2011 (Saturday & Sunday) at Subang Avenue in Subang Jaya. A PDF version of the brochure with full details is available here : http://www.1sudoku.com.my/2nd%20Msia%20Sudoku%20Championship%20brochure.pdf Or you can email mysudokusociety@gmail.com for more information.

All SUDOKU fans and players please take note. Come and join the fun and challenge. This is the biggest SUDOKU event of the year in Malaysia! Lots of prizes to be won! Last year's Championship in December was very exciting. This year's competition should be equally, if not more exciting, with four separate categories for competitors to choose from. See you there!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Info Session on Yale & Yale-NUS College

2011-10-01T08:47:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Joyce Tagal for sharing the following info.

Information Session on

Yale & Yale-NUS College

Students, parents, and counselors are cordially invited to a program

on undergraduate study at Yale University & Yale-NUS College.

Wednesday – October 5^th, 2011 – 6:30pm

International School of Kuala Lumpur

Ampang Campus, Jalan Kolam Air

68000 Ampang, Selangor

Please RSVP at the following URL: https://apps.admissions.yale.edu/register/kualalumpur

Please join Keith Light, Associate Director of Admissions at Yale, and Austin Shiner, Admissions Counselor at YNC, to hear more about the unprecedented collaboration between Yale and the National University of Singapore to create a new undergraduate college that will offer a model of residential liberal arts education not currently available in Asia.

Academic programs, student life, admissions policies, college costs, and financial aid at each school will be discussed.

Belajar MY Math - A 1-hour Gift that Lasts a Lifetime for Many Lives

2011-08-11T20:48:00.001+08:00

This is a noble initiative by a fellow Malaysian, Mark Lee, who hope to create a grassroot project to help fellow Malaysian students.

+++++++++++++ Helping Your Fellow Malaysian Students ++++++++++++

Many of you are fluent in English, and have broadband Internet access that allows you to access the wealth of educational resources available on the Internet.

However, some of your fellow Malaysian students, particularly in the rural areas, have barely begun to comprehend the opportunities that top notch educational resources, much less college education, can provide.

And you can help to address this educational gap for those who have limited English-language skills, and/or limited broadband access.

Sharing Top-Notch Educational Content with the Less Fortunate

There's a tremendous need for top-notch educational content, especially in math and the sciences, within Malaysia. The Khan Academy (KA) provides FREE highly recognized and successful educational content presented via easily digestible and understood video-clips.

However, the content is in English, which limits access by those who have limited English language skills. The proposed solution (S1) is to provide Malay sub-titles for relevant KA video-clips.

1-Hour Gifts of Your Time

To quote Jacintha Tagal - raised in Kuching and graduated from Harvard:

http://www.teachformalaysia.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/JacinthaTagal.jpg

http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2011/7/10/education/20110709123702&sec=education

"[I] realize that the sort of person you want to be is a person whose life multiplies life for others, especially those who lack the opportunities that you have been given."

If you are moved to multiply life for others, please volunteer 1-hour gifts of your time to do either or both of the following (repeat as often as desired ):

Translate a 10-min video-clip from English to Malay, which will take approximately an hour.
Critique a translated 10 min video-clip, which will take approximately 30 mins. Thus within 1 hour, you can critique two 10 min Malay-translated video-clips.

Making A Difference via Your Volunteer Time Contributions

The Belajar MY intiative will depend solely upon volunteer time contributions.

As far as I can tell, money and materials will be needed only for the S2 phase: production and distribution of DVDs. However, the S2 phase will come only after S1: Malay sub-titling of the Khan Academy video-clips on the Web has been completed.

Why Am I (Mark Lee) Doing This?

I have been extremely fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity to study overseas, which has greatly expanded my horizons. I have an Orlando-focused educational blog, with the tagline "Enriching Minds, Transforming Lives". http://slchoices.wordpress.com/.

You and I have the opportunity to Enrich the Minds and Transform the Lives of our fellow Malaysians. It's up to us to help!

Next Steps

http://belajarmymath.wordpress.com/how-you-can-help/

Step 1:

The key need is the initial mapping of relevant KA instructional to the Malaysian secondary school curriculum. If you are an experienced math tutor, an experienced math teacher, or know those in those roles who can help out, please contact me!

Until the mapping is well underway, we will have to wait to undertake the conversion (read translation) into Malay, and the subsequent critiques of the converted content.

Step 2:

In the meantime, please subscribe/follow the following for updates, including the need for your help:

Feel free to share the "Belajar MY" initiative with others. The initial focus is upon Math, with the hope/expectation of extension into the sciences.

BTW, I have this wonderfully quirky idea of inviting BillG (formerly of MSFT) to do a a short video-clip invitation/introduction, in Malay , of the Malay-subtitled Khan Academy video-clips.

The sooner the Malay-subtitling is done, the earlier I can work on inviting him to do a Malay-language invitation/introduction.

Support

The following individuals are already aware of the Khan Academy, and are very supportive of the "Belajar MY" initiative.

Johan of Talent Corp
Dzameer of Teach for Malaysia
Wan Saiful of IDEAS
Ong Shien Jin
Suhaimi Ramly

Allow me to end with a vignette of a Malaysian helping a fellow Malaysian.

I had just alighted from the LRT @ KL Sentral. Amidst the mass of people making their way to the down escalator, there was a young lady walking rapidly towards a blind man gingerly tapping his red-white cane towards the down escalator.

It seemed she was about to bump into him; instead she reached out to gently hold his wrist, and carefully guided him down the escalator.

I was touched by her compassion. Despite being of different races, she saw not his race, but rather his need. There's still hope for Malaysia, and you are part of that hope.

The 5th Annual Malaysian Student Leaders Summit (MSLS) 2011

2011-07-16T08:35:00.000+08:00

The 5th Annual Malaysian Student Leaders Summit (MSLS) 2011 is now open for registration!

In this year's MSLS, we will delve deeper within our collective consciousness to rediscover what makes us unique and what makes Malaysia tick to paint a picture of where we stand in this fast-changing, globalised world.

Which piece of this new world puzzle is Malaysia?

How are we going to find and benefit from this fit?

Where do we as youths piece ourselves in this Malaysian puzzle?

In this year's MSLS, we will strive to come up with answers to these profound questions, as we piece together the Malaysian puzzle together.

The details of the event are as follows:
Date: 30 and 31 July 2011 (Saturday and Sunday)
Time: 8 - 6.30pm (both days)
Venue: Hilton Kuala Lumpur Hotel
Dress Code: Formal

We hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please send us an email at info@ukeconline.com. To register, please go to http://www.ukeconline.com/msls2011 today - we will be updating all the details there!

Please note that you do not need to pay in order to attend this conference - it is free of charge for all participants.

To get all the latest updates on MSLS, follow us on Twitter @UKEC.

Curious to find out more about what MSLS will be exploring this time? Check out the first of 3 trailers for MSLS here!

Durham University student expedition

2011-07-02T23:39:00.000+08:00

Got this from Christopher Sien.

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Hi. My name is Christopher Sien. I'm a Malaysian student and I'm currently studying at Durham University, United Kingdom. This summer I will betaking part in a group project in Cambodia with Durham University Charities Kommittee (DUCK), aiming to raise £16,500 for charity. We plan to travel to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and spend three weeks working in schools and teaching English to poor children. Before I go I need to raise £2200, half of which will go to cover the cost of my flights, accommodation and our living costs in the hospice and the other half will be distributed between 3 charities:

i) Burma Education Partnership - www.burmaeducationpartnership.org

ii) FutureSense Foundation - www.futuresensefoundation.org

iii) A cambodian charity (to be confirmed)

As you may have noticed, the fundraising target is a steep one, and I was wondering if you are willing to help. I would be incredibly appreciative of any donation, however you are willing to offer. All money donated would go directly to the three charities that I've mentioned and would be invaluable in helping me reach my fundraising target.

Basically, I find it shocking that most people in Cambodia still live on an average wage of less than $1 a day. I personally spend at least 3 times that amount everyday. Also, most children in Cambodia do not have the opportunity to engage in a good educational program. As a universal language, I think teaching English to these children will help to give them a voice to express themselves not just to each other, but also to people all around the world. I also think that it will represent the first step to a hopefully brighter future for them. This is why I want to help. And I hope you see it the same way I do.

Donations can be made online at www.justgiving.com/christopher-sien-vee-zhen. Any donations can be made safely and securely, will go directly to the charity, and Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid is added to your donation. The minimum donation is £2. That's approximately RM10, SGD5, AUD3, USD3, etc. That's also the price of a cup of coffee from Starbucks. If you can give that up for a day, it will go a long way to helping a person in Cambodia. I would be extremely grateful if you could spare a few pounds to help Burma Education Partnership and FutureSense Foundation and to help me on my way.

If you would like more information about the project or about any of the charities, please get in touch with me on +447591907319, or by email to c.v.z.sien@durham.ac.uk. Thank you so much for your time.

Yours sincerely,

Christopher Sien.

theSun Writing Competition

2011-07-02T23:08:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Tricia for sharing this.

HAVE you something interesting to say about your country and you? On any
aspect that inspires you or delights you or even annoys you?

If you do, share it with your fellow Malaysians by taking part in the
theSun-1MDB 'Malaysia and Me' Writing Competition which closes on July
29.

The top three prizes are RM5,000, RM3,000 and RM2,000. There are also 10
Consolation Prizes of RM500 each.

If you are a Malaysian between the ages of 15 and 30, you are eligible to
take part, and can send in as many as three entries.

Your entry must be your own original work, and it must not have been
published before.

The competition is organised by theSun in conjunction with Merdeka 2011,
with the aim of encouraging literary expression by Malaysian youths.
We've kept the boundaries open by calling it simply a "writing
competition". This means you can write in any genre you wish.

Exercise your imagination. You can of course write an essay to address
the 'Malaysia and Me' theme. But if you feel you can best express it
in a poem, go for it. Or if you want to write a letter to your country or
anyone in particular, that's also fine. So is writing a short story or
even a short play with dialogue and action.

Just be sure to keep to a maximum of 1,500 words. There is, however, no
minimum.

The judging will be done by an independent panel of professional experts,
and they will be looking for the most creative entries. With substance
too, of course.

To ensure impartiality in the judging, the names of the participants will
not be made known to the panel. As such, you must make sure that your
name does not appear on any part of your entry. It should appear only in
the entry form, together with other required particulars and the title of
your entry.

Do take note that the title of your entry must also appear on every page
of your entry.

Entry forms are available in the printed edition of theSun and online at
www.sun2surf.com.

You can e-mail in your entries or send them by snail mail, but each entry
must be accompanied by an entry form.

All entries must reach the office of theSun no later than 6pm on July 29,
2011.

You can find out more about the competition in theSun newspaper or log on
to www.thesundaiy.my .

http://watufighting4lah.tumblr.com/

2011-06-25T17:59:00.001+08:00

Jian Wei & Zhi Wei has started this initiative to get Malaysians to share on what they are fighting for.

http://watufighting4lah.tumblr.com/

You can look at http://watufighting4lah.tumblr.com/archive/ for a list of those sharings by people!

Do share yours too!

Malaysia Public Policy Competition 2011

2011-06-12T11:23:00.001+08:00

Thanks Gabrielle for sharing this.

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Dear all,

My team and I have just recently launched the inaugural Malaysia Public Policy Competition 2011, jointly organized by International Council of Malaysian Scholars, and UCSI Malaysia. The organising team is proud to have Kian Ming, as the project advisor.

Online registration is now open at www.malaysiapublicpolicycompetition.blogspot.com . All Malaysian pre-university and university students around the world are eligible to register. 16 teams will be shortlisted from the preliminary round to participate in the two-day Residential Challenge in UCSI Malaysia on the 3rd and 4th September. Full accommodation and food are provided.

The 16 teams will have an opportunity to learn what is public policy making all about, and pitch their own policy recommendations to professional judges who are prominent policy makers themselves. Do check it out, and spread the word please!

Cheers,
Winson Lee
MPPC 2011 Project Director

Sharing by Amanda Chin, Wharton Business School

2011-06-04T16:19:00.000+08:00

Amanda Chin who is an incoming student at Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania has written the following article to share with prospective applicants.

http://collegeandathletes.blogspot.com/2011/05/amandas-unofficial-guide-for-potential.html

Young Corporate Malaysians 33rd CEO Series of Talks

2011-06-04T16:17:00.001+08:00

Young Corporate Malaysians 33rd CEO Series of Talks would be given by Shahnaz Al-Sadat Abdul Mohsein, Executive Director of Strategic Human Capital Management, Khazanah Nasional Berhad.

It would be on 14th June 2011, 8pm at Intercontinental Hotel Kuala Lumpur

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=170508013009195

Promote Entrepreneurship Among Physically Disabled Individuals

2011-05-23T00:40:00.001+08:00

Obtained this from Darren.

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Greetings to you. how are you? and I would like to share to you about a competition we are running.

As we all know, employment is a major issue among the physically disabled. We hope that through this project we can identify good potentials businesses for the local disabled and we welcome any physically disabled individuals to take the idea and start up their own business. Project 312 is a online business idea competition to promote entrepreneurship among physically disabled individuals. We are offering RM1000 for the best idea and RM200 for 4 ideas with the most likes.

This is the link to our page.
http://www.facebook.com/project312sifeuum

We would be honoured if you can share about this competition in your profile as you are much more well connected to initiative and talented youths than we are. We sincerely hope that you would consider informing your friends about our competition. Thank you so much for your time. Have a lovely day ahead. :)

Darren Lee Boon Lye
Vice President of Public Relations
SIFE UUM
http://www.facebook.com/sifeuum

Youth Leadership Academy 2011

2011-05-18T11:24:00.001+08:00

Last year, I had the chance to be one of the mentors for Youth Leadership Academy. It was a great experience for me, especially in getting to meet motivated undergraduates, who had the chance of lifetime to participate in YLA. I wish that back when I was a student, I would have had such opportunity to learn and network.

The participants got the chance to learn from the top notch management consultants from McKinsey, network, learn and share with other participants and also mentors. The skill sets that the participants learn will definitely help them in preparing themselves for their career. It is about taking charge of one's professional developments and this would be a good jump start for the young participants in YLA. Am sure it would be one of your best investments of your life.

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The application deadline for the 2011 Youth Leadership Academy cohort has been extended to midnight on June 5th. This is due to requests from a number of universities that are having final term examinations in May. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at YLA_Malaysia@mckinsey.com

Have you always dreamed of becoming a leader who inspires others and drives change? Have you held significant leadership roles before, whether in an existing organisation or an endeavour of your own making? Do you passionately believe in making a difference in Malaysia? If so, this programme could be for you!

The Youth Leadership Academy is dedicated to building the capabilities of future young leaders for Malaysia. As a participant, you will have the opportunity to improve your leadership skills through a proprietary curriculum developed by McKinsey & Co. You will also have access to mentors from a select pool of successful corporate leaders and young professionals. As one of the world's leading management consulting firms, McKinsey is at the centre of the world's most influential global leadership network and was ranked in the top ten in Fortune magazine's Global Top Companies for Leaders in 2007.

We are looking for a diverse group of 20-30 of the most talented and driven Malaysian undergraduate students currently studying at a university in Malaysia. Candidates must demonstrate strong leadership potential, personal drive, and a passion and energy for making a difference in our community and country. The deadline for the application is 5 June at midnight.

For more information about the programme, and how you can sign up, please view the attached brochure or e-mail us your questions at YLA_Malaysia@mckinsey.com. Do also join our Facebook groupYL - "Youth Leadership Academy Malaysia 2011" and check out one participant's account of the experience at http://psytiphic.blogspot.com/2009/06/1st-leadership-workshop-by-mckinsey-and.html

Youth Leadership Academy

2011-05-09T00:30:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Sujay for sharing this with me.

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Youth Leadership Academy, Malaysia
Have you always dreamed of becoming a leader who inspires others and drives change? Have you held significant leadership roles before, whether in an existing organisation or an endeavour of your own making? Do you passionately believe in making a difference in Malaysia? If so, this programme could be for you!

The Youth Leadership Academy is dedicated to building the capabilities of future young leaders for Malaysia. As a participant, you will have the opportunity to improve your leadership skills through a proprietary curriculum developed by McKinsey & Co. You will also have access to mentors from a select pool of successful corporate leaders and young professionals. As one of the world's leading management consulting firms, McKinsey is at the centre of the world's most influential global leadership network and was ranked in the top ten in Fortune magazine's Global Top Companies for Leaders in 2007.

We are looking for a diverse group of 20-30 of the most talented and driven Malaysian undergraduate students currently studying at a university in Malaysia. Candidates must demonstrate strong leadership potential, personal drive, and a passion and energy for making a difference in our community and country. The deadline for the application is 22 May. For more information about the programme, and how you can sign up, please view the attached brochure or e-mail us your questions at YLA_Malaysia@mckinsey.com

CEKU Bookmark Caption Competition

2011-05-04T07:58:00.001+08:00

Thanks Melissa for sharing with me on this.

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Have Something to Say? – CEKU's Bookmark Caption Competition

If you've picked up one of the newly designed CEKU bookmarks, you'll notice an interesting fact on one side of thebookmark, and an invitation to voice your opinion on our website, www.ceku.org. We at CEKU have decided to take this to another level!

Do you have something to share – an interesting thought or fact about Malaysia and all things related to her? Then share it with us in no more than 15 words, together with a 300 to 700 word essay explaining why you think what you want to share is interesting. You can be creative as you like in your explanation. If you choose to share a fact, please cite your source as well.

The winner of the Grand Prize will win a Kindle Wireless Reading Device with Wi-fi. Also, the top 3 winning entries will be printed as bookmarks to as promotional material for CEKU for 2011 and 2012, and will be premiered at the 5^th Annual Malaysian Student Leaders Summit 2011 that will be happening over summer! This conference takes place over a two day period, and sees 800 young Malaysians come together to listen and debate issues with prominent speakers from various industries.

So what are you waiting for? Submit your entry (or entries – you can send in asmany as you like) by 1st July to ceku@ukeconline.com. If you have any enquiries, you can contact Natasha at natasha@ukeconline.com.

Articles

2011-04-17T20:22:00.000+08:00

Thanks to my loyal blog contributor for the articles below.

Early Admissions

http://www.stanford.edu/~jdlevin/Papers/EarlyAdmissions.pdf

The Default Major - Skating Through B-School

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/education/edlife/edl-17business-t.html?

FreeRice Group for USApps2011

2011-04-11T23:57:00.001+08:00

To encourage Malaysians to improve on our English, particularly on vocabulary, a FreeRice group has been set up. This would be good practice for those who are planning to sit for SAT, in preparation for applications to US Universities.

http://www.freerice.com/content-group/usapps2011-malaysia

Resources

2011-04-09T12:28:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Shu Wen and my loyal blog contributors for sharing the following articles.

How Great Entrepreneurs Think

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20110201/how-great-entrepreneurs-think.html

Famous Graduates of Liberal Arts Colleges

http://greatcollegeadvice.com/famous-graduates-of-liberal-arts-colleges/

Why Get a Liberal Arts Education? - ReCom.org

http://www.recom.org/forum/showthread.php?t=12243

Liberal arts colleges :)

http://www.amatecon.com/etext/cac/cac-ch03.html

College That Change Lives :)

http://www.ctcl.com/

Deci$ion$: How One College Snags So Many Students

http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/admit-stats-2011/

Hacking the curve: do less, but do it better

http://tech.mit.edu/V131/N15/newport.html

http://techblogs.mit.edu/uncategorized/2011/03/extras-hacking-the-curve-do-less-but-do-it-better/

Hacks go on to Caltech, Berkeley and Stanford

http://hacks.mit.edu/by_year/2010/tardis/

2012-2013 Fulbright Malaysian Graduate Study & Research Program

http://macee.org.my/02_08_30_1_content.html

2012-2013 Fulbright Malaysian Professional Exchange Program

http://macee.org.my/02_08_21_content.htm

2012-2013 Fulbright Malaysian Scholar Program

http://www.macee.org.my/02_08_23_content.html

2012-2013 Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program

http://www.macee.org.my/05_11_1_content.html

2012 International Fulbright Science and Technology Award for Outstanding Students

http://www.macee.org.my/02_08_22_content.html

UKECharisma - Volunteering Opportunities in Malaysia for all UK students

2011-04-06T09:21:00.001+08:00

Received this from Angeline Lee, Director of UKECharisma. Great way to give back to the community and make a difference.

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Looking to increase your employability?

Interested in volunteering this summer?
Want to go somewhere exotic and completely new?
Wish you didn't have to pay so much to do community service?
Want a well organized project with expert support and advice?

Look no further, because we've got everything you want right here.
UKECharisma is the project you're looking for, Malaysia is where you want to be going, accommodation and food is FREE, and we've got lots of expert spport to give you and your teammates advice and guidance on how to run a successful and sustainable project!

UKECharisma is an organization that provides opportunities for students studying in the UK to lead and volunteer in community service and leadership projects in Malaysia every summer. This opportunity is open to any student studying in the UK, whether Malaysian or non Malaysian, (twinning students also accepted) and UKECharisma will not only provide leadership training and project organization training, but also expert advice and sponsorship for accommodation and food for all the volunteers going for the projects. That's right, all you have to pay for is your flight and shopping, as well as fundraise a token amount to demonstrate your commitment to the cause!

We have confirmed that this year's projects are about Education and Health Awareness. They will run for two weeks each starting on the 16th July and the 31st July respectively, and are both set in the state of Selangor as well as the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. More details are as follows:

PROJECT 1: Education

16th July – 29th July, Kuala Lumpur.

Volunteers will be teaching English and encouraging reading and writing in English for primary school students in overpopulated regions of Kuala Lumpur. You will assist the class teacher in teaching students during classtime, and formulate lesson plans or activity plans for students with the teachers' approval. After school you will provide tuition and interactive workshops for children to attend to increase their interest in the language. You will recruit and have the help of secondary school students who will be your 'mentees', and part of your aim is to inspire the older students to set up a sustainable programme to teach the young children, even after your project is over, to ensure sustainability of your work.

PROJECT 2: Health Awareness

31st July - 13th August, Kuala Lumpur.

Volunteers will help out at the Spastic Children's Association of Selangor and the Federal Territory (SCASFT) where children born with spastic cerebral palsy go to learn and rehabilitate with various types of physiotherapy. You will assist staff at the center in their work with the children and their parents. You will also go to the city center and hold a small campaign to fundraise and raise awareness about spastic cerebral palsy and SCASFT targeted at members of public. You will also recruit and have the help of secondary school students who will be your 'mentees', and part of your aim is to inspire the older students to adopt SCASFT and spastic cerebral palsy as their charity to fundraise and hold events for, again to ensure sustainability of your work.

Applications are open for you to volunteer in our projects!

Also, we need two leaders each for both our projects, and there is a question in the application process for you to fill up if you're interested in doing so!

So what do you do after reading this email?

Step 1: Go to our website at http://ukecharisma.wordpress.com, and explore UKECharisma - our goals, our motivations and our application process! There are some useful links along the side for you to look at as well, so don't forget those!

Step 2: Join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_193818470652050 and add your friends!

Step 3: Apply to contribute to UKECharisma, either as a volunteer, a project leader, or a member of the executive committee!

Step 4: Tell your friends about us, and come help us make a huge difference in Malaysia this Summer!

UKECharisma. Find Your Passion. Lead. Live. Learn.
--
Love,

The UKECharisma Team!

Congratulations to the Students who made it!

2011-04-02T22:51:00.001+08:00

Congratulations to all the students who made it to their dream universities.

http://usapps2011.wordpress.com/admits-lists/2010-2/

To all those who are on waiting list, Good Luck! Try your best to impress the universities!

To all those who didn't get into your dream university. Don't give up. Stay strong and work hard. Am sure there would be great opportunities around.

Most important thing to all is make full use of your time in university.

Pulling out a post that I wrote 2 years ago.

http://chenchow.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-make-full-use-of-universities.html

Resources Contributed by various Contributors

2011-03-31T18:32:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Shu Wen, Chi Hung and loyal blog contributor for the following links.

1. List of all Scholarships in Malaysia

http://www.recom.org/forum/showthread.php?t=12419

2. Romania Scholarships - http://www.portal.mohe.gov.my/portal/page/portal/ExtPortal/MarketSponsor/General_MarketSponsor/Announcement/sponListAnnouncement/Romania_Scholarship_2011.pdf

3. 40,000 Variations of MIT Media Lab Logo

http://gizmodo.com/#!5780115/mit-media-labs-self+generating-40000+varient-logo-is-pure-genius

4. More Foreign Borned Scholars lead US Universities

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/education/10presidents.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

5. Scholarships for ASEAN Students 2011

http://www.inter.commarts.chula.ac.th/admission/asean_scholarship_application_package.htm

6. University Scholars Leadership Symposium

http://www.universityscholars.org.uk/

7. Times Higher Education World Reputation Ranking

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=415429&c=2

8. Article in MIT Admissions Blog

http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/the_selection_process_application_reading_committee_and_decisions/i_challenge_you.shtml

9. How to Avoid Catastrophe

http://hbr.org/2011/04/how-to-avoid-catastrophe/ar/1

10. Nuts and Bolts of Applying to US Universities

https://statedeptasia.connectsolutions.com/p85547041/

https://statedeptasia.connectsolutions.com/p93687855/

11. How has reading Ayn Rand's Novels Affecting You (Essay Competition)

http://essaycontest.aynrandnovels.com/AynRandNovels.aspx?theme=blue

12. A is for Average

http://thedartmouth.com/2011/03/03/opinion/solomon

13. Ivy League does not necessarily increase one's lifetime income

http://blogs.forbes.com/jerrybowyer/2011/03/16/the-college-education-bubble-ivy-league-edition/

14. Questions Abound as the College-Rankings Race Goes Global

http://chronicle.com/article/Questions-Abound-as-the/126699/

15. What international students want to study

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20110318130504251

16. Countries vying to become education hubs

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20110318130607540

17. Boon The Scholar

http://boonthescholar.blogspot.com/

30th Young Corporate Malaysians CEO Series of Talk - Azran Osman-Rani

2011-03-21T21:47:00.001+08:00

Today is the 30th Young Corporate Malaysians CEO Series of Talk. And with us today is Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of Air Asia X, a graduate of Stanford University in Electrical Engineering and Management Science. He embodies the ethos of Air Asia X. His interest is snowboarding, ultimate frisbee and running. Below is the live blogging.

Today is the biggest crowd for YCM CEO Series of Talk. We have 200+ people attending. Azran would be sharing on his message. He shared that all 1-year, 3-year, 5-year plan do not work and can throw them away. He has done 5 iterations of 2011 planning and it is still in March. We can't predict all the happenings. We just have to be nimble. If we make mistakes, then we just have to correct it and move on.

The challenges are that when Air Asia X wanted to be done, experts say that it cannot be done. Others have tried and failed. British, Hong Kong people, Canadians have tried it and cannot work. Azran said that he just have to do it. Tony Fernandes gave him 5 slides when he started.

The easy part is that if we give discounts, people will fly. But the question is that how can we make money, if we continue to give discounts. If we strip out the brands, then everything is the same. There is nothing unique in this aviation business. So, when he is looking at the hiring, he looks for the uniqueness in people.

The entire global industry is built to serve the premium passengers. The entire industry is running on 50% capacity. Cathay Pacific average capacity of a day is 11.5-12 hours a day. As they are all very focused on premium customers, so they are not taking of the average people. The airlines are all very focused on the premium customers.

If go to KLIA and Changi, all the big flights are taking off at late nights, so that they would arrive in Europe, say London early in the morning. But in Europe, no one would be willing to wake up early in the morning, to get on 7am. So, the planes are parked at the airport and paying expensive airport charges. In the day time, at KLIA, the big planes are idle there, to wait for the premium time.

However, Azran believed that a lot of people would be willing to travel at odd time, as long as they are willing to get discounts. Just by stripping out the idle time, Air Asia X is able to fly 17-18 hours a day. By doing this, Air Asia X is able to have the world's highest utilization rate of the flight.

For Air Asia X's customers, they are not those business people, so they would be fine if the planes fly off at different time each day. To them, they might only be going to London once a year or most of them, once in a lifetime. By doing this, Air Asia X was able to get the cost structure lower.

The problem for those who tried long haul airlines before, they hired those who have had airline experience, so they might only be able to get 10%-20% improvement. For Air Asia X, they only have a few planes, so they had to think innovatively. They are flying at a cost of 2.9 cents per available unit kilometer. Cathay Pacific is at 8.9 cents per available unit km. Air Asia X uses 2.3 litres per seat per 100km flown, whereas Cathay Pacific uses 4.8 litres per seat per 100km flown.

Air Asia X is focusing on how to utilize every single drop of fuel. It is much better than focusing on fuel hedging. The bankers are making money whenever the price of fuel goes up or goes down.

Irrespective of the cost structure, if can't fill up the plane, there is no way to make money. Airlines used to wait for customers to go to them. Previously, airlines wait for people to have their holidays planned. However, what Air Asia does is that it creates demand. People would decide where to go based on Air Asia's discount and depends on where is cheap.

For example, someone wants to go to Bali, but if they find that flight to Vientiane is cheaper, they would book it, even though they might not know where it is.

Once Azran was in a flight to Gold Coast, and it was July, and a passenger told Azran that it was snowing/cold and not blue sky. And Azran said that it is winter in July over there, but the customer didn't even know that. These are not the typical customers for airlines.

Air Asia X is able to increase passengers to Perth by 66%, Melbourne by 41%, London by 31%, Taipei by 87%. For the rest of Europe's, total passengers actually reduced. He pointed out that for those cities that Air Asia X did not fly to, MAS charges higher prices, compared to those flights that Air Asia X flies to. A case in point is Sydney.

Azran also said that for the first person who tweet him would get to go to Gold Coast at RM199 with no date restriction.

Air Asia X's revenue in 2007 was RM18 Million. For 2008, it was RM231 Million. For 2009, it was RM720 Million. For 2010, RM1.302 Billion. For 2011, they are expected to earn RM2 Billion.

Back then, when deposit has been paid for the planes, but due to the financial crisis, the banks ran away. Eventually, Air Asia X went to London to pitch for money. On that day, one of the low cost long-term airline went bust. Air Asia won't be giving guarantee to Air Asia X, but eventually Air Asia X managed to get the lifeline to get credits to borrow money.

Basically, just have to go out there to grab the opportunities and grab it. Sometimes, just have to aim and hit it. Not everything that Air Asia X does may not work. Not everything is done perfectly correct.

Air Asia X had an account with Lehman Brothers for fuel hedge, and was hedging at USD100. If Lehman Brothers didn't go to bust, it would have wiped out Air Asia X's capital four times over. Because of Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, Air Asia X lost USD12 Million of deposit, but that saved them from losing way more.

The design of the seats for Air Asia X was pitched to them as latest, where the seats would recline by gliding forward. However, what was not said is that they would have to glide themselves forward. And in the end, people ended up sitting straight for 8 hours and Air Asia X had bad reputation.

The in-flight entertainment was also a flop. While it was cool, it cost a lot of capital and it did not pay back on it. Air Asia X had to waste of RM55 Million on it. As 45%-50% of the flight was at late night, people won't be utilizing the in-flight entertainment, even though it was very cheap or free.

So, they bit the bullet and changed it. Luckily is that no one is blaming each other.

Air Asia X flew over to Abu Dhabi, but within 3 months, it had to back track. Emirates and Etihad really had bottomless cash and "killed off" that route for Air Asia X. What Azran stressed is that sometimes would make wrong move. What is important is that we just have to move on and go ahead.

It is the same for career. So, don't grumble and move on. We might make mistakes in career, but just have to bite the bullet and move on. There is no way for us to build a plan to go to CEO. If we plan, then we would expect things to come as planned, and if it doesn't, then we would miss out of opportunities that come along the way.

Even if things work well, need to be always restless and see how to innovate. A lot of things that Air Asia X do are very easy to be copied. One can see all the flight schedules online and how many seats they have. Ideas can be easily copied, execution is difficult.

Air Asia X became the first low cost airlines that would have flat bed. The legacy airlines are charging a bomb for the business class seats, like RM20,000 to go to London. Those prices include those expensive lounges, wine etc, besides the flat bed.

So, what Air Asia X does is that they focus on providing the flat bed seat, but minus the lounges and wine, so it provides the value. With just RM4,000-RM5,000 for a premium seat to London, that pretty much pays off.

For career, we need to focus on those things that count. We need to keep on thinking on what needs to be done.

Air Asia X became the first one to connect flights, instead of low cost airlines. Air Asia X offers this service, to help those from China to connect to Australia via LCCT, without having to go through immigration and getting their luggage and checking in again.

What matters is not the Excel sheet, but what matters is what gets done. It is about how to get it done.

Everything in the company shares the same KPI. Keeping things simple and make it happen.

1. USD$1 Billion revenue in 5 years.

2. 2 US cents operating cost per available seat kilometer (world's lowest).

3. 3 out of 4 hours the plane is in the air.

4. 4 out of 5 seats are filled with happy guests.

If everyone focuses on getting this thing right, then it would get ahead. So, people just have to focus on simple things and get it done.

Everything is open and accessible. Azran gets exactly the same size of table and space as everyone else in Air Asia X. People can move around freely and share idea around. A lot of companies have barriers around and by doing this, it would allow Air Asia X to be nimble.

For Air Asia X, the Chief Pilot and Chief Engineer has two enjoining desk. No other airline does that. By doing this, it allows them to communicate well, and know each other. This would help to solve cross-functional issues. By doing this simple thing, it gets things moving and changes.

People go to Air Asia X because they have growth opportunities. People don't go to Air Asia X because they pay very well. If people who join Air Asia X and after 12 months, they are still doing the same thing, then Azran has failed.

People always change role, for instance, try new routes, try new parts. There is someone who joined from PwC and she joined as financial analyst. And 3.5 years later, she managed the operations of where the planes are flying and contact all the departments, if the plane gets delayed.

Someone joined as call center operator and after 12-18 months, she went on to be flight attendant and now she is managing the flight schedule.

That to Azran is what counts a lot, as people would learn and grow. People don't join because they want money. If people want a unique challenge and gets completely different challenge, then send Azran email.

It is important to build the tribal culture. Leaders should focus a lot of our time on the people. Keep on engaging the people and it is something that has to be built. The thing that Azran loses sleep over is not whether fuel prices would go higher and any crisis, because everyone in the industry would feel the same thing.

What makes Azran lose sleep is that Air Asia X is growing very fast, and it is more than 1,000 staff from 25 countries, and soon, it would be 2,000 staff from 50 countries. So, it would get tougher to get everyone to keep on engaged. Azran spent a lot of time on his blackberry too, to reply on emails, Facebook and Twitter.

Next on is Q&A.

One needs to have experience and marry that with people who are open minded. Moses Devanayagam, who is the Director of Operations for Air Asia X has 39 years of aviation industry. That's as old as Azran (or as young as him).

Azran said that don't waste money on market research company. What is important to be in touch with the customers. The social media is so powerful. Today, Azran knew of flight problem, even before he heard from his team, as people would contact them directly.

Azran shared that one just have to be thick skin and be patiently persistent, when dealing with government.

Azran shared that an author that he respected a lot is Bill Watson, who wrote Calvin and Hobbes. He learned the ability to imagine from him. He asked what people look up on someone and often it is imagination. Being able to visualize is key.

Azran shared on how he got called to go to Putrajaya to explain on writing "Liberating Sydney" on his plane. But what Azran paid attention is when the customers scolded them. Everyone else, government, suppliers and regulators do not matter so much.

Azran did not believe in any particular framework or process. He believed a lot in gut, and if one believes that it is the right thing to do, then they would do that. If one can get most things right, then you are doing well. If can get 80% happy customers, then you are doing well. If you go for 99% or 100%, then you would be taking on too much cost. So, need to manage it as a portfolio.

What inspires Azran is that we should not accept limitation. What drives Azran is that people prove themselves, when others tell them that they can't do it. He looked up to people who are taking on the world.

Based on Airbus data, Air Asia X has better operational reliability than even Singapore Airlines. For a lot of airlines, flow of information may not spread to everyone. If we have open flow of information, then we can deal with problem. Problems are often systemic in nature. So, as leaders, we have to get information to flow and if one has a regimented culture, the engineers or the pilots would not bring on. So, as a culture, how to instill that culture to have open information. So, anyone can go straight up to Azran. So, information flow is what that would bring information around.

Talent management eventually comes back to can do culture, clear sense of purpose, open and borderless and have growth opportunities. Aim to look for people who fit the culture. That's how Air Asia X managed talent.

Often problems happen is when first officer does not dare to tell the captain. People might not have processed all the information available. So, it all comes down on how to flow the information. The gap usually is how the information flows from the first officer to captain and the engineers to the pilot.

Azran didn't have it easy when he grew up to be accepted and sold his idea. He chose to do engineering, because he can't stand the sight of blood, and thought that numbers are boring, as well as he can't do writing. And his Mathematics teachers were handsome.

In 1997, the opportunities came, and he knew nothing of banking, so he jumped in and learned a lot and it was crazy time. He was in Bangkok during the 2nd July 1997, when Baht was devalued. He learned how to do M&A and valuation, and he did his time over at nuclear power plant, oil & gas etc. He spent 8 months in Korea at nuclear power plant.

He thought that nothing much was happening in South East Asia in 2001, and he spent good time there. The clients were very good. He wanted to stay on permanent in Korea, but he got chance to have client in KLSE. So, he had great time there. Datuk Azlan Hashim was a great person and he spent 6-9 months there. Azran was then offered to join KLSE, to move over and get things done. He sold his car and got a 2nd-hand Proton and counted money for groceries. It was a very valuable experience to turn it over to Bursa Malaysia.

At that time, Astro brought him over to help them to spend money. It was great experience for him, and it went on until the crazy idea of long haul airline came to him. So, one doesn't need to have a grand plan.

Azran shared that when all else failed, trust the wife.

42%-45% of customers base for Air Asia X is family with young children. 9%-10% of Air Asia X customers are from youths, but the price point for Air Asia X is higher, so may not be as affordable for youths.

Air Asia X is a corporate brand and it is the single brand of Air Asia. With long haul, a lot of Australian tourists are taking an onward flight on Air Asia. If only do a point-to-point for Air Asia X, it would only be able to get 25%-30% seats filled.

When Air Asia X goes to London to sell, then Azran would sell Langkawi, Bali, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Siam Reap etc. Azran is not interested to have a brand for the sake of having a brand. The Air Asia's network is what matters. The name of Air Asia X is just for the shareholders organization structure.

Azran is setting his organization to be nimble, so that whatever crisis that happens, they can react immediately.

Azran hates emails. People don't communicate effectively in emails, but the best way is to meet face-to-face or via phone. Main thing is spend time and get things done. Azran flies a lot worldwide, so best way is to get to the point and get things done.

Azran sums up that what is most important is information flow and openness. As an organization, there is no way to have the best idea in the world, but best way is to get the information across. And be nimble, as summed up by the MC.

Above is the live blogging of Azran's talk.

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Personally, I have a wish list for Air Asia X and Air Asia, would be that they can collect loose changes from passengers in each flight, as often, after people visit a country, they would have small amount of loose change that they might not do a currency exchange back into their local currency. That would be a lot of wastage. What if Air Asia or Air Asia X could collect those loose currencies and donate to the local charitable needs. That could be huge leverage in it and benefit each of the community. Every few Ringgit, thousands of Rupiahs or Dongs etc, would add up to a big figure.

Congrats to Jasper Koid

2011-03-19T21:53:00.001+08:00

Congratulations to Jasper Koid for getting admitted to Caltech, as well as waiting list for MIT