UGRAD Compilation

12 June 2008: 2008/09 Malaysian UGRAD Debriefing Session

16 June 2009: Meet up with new UGRADers

YeongRu, Alan, EngHwa, Rachel & me

September issue of College Bulletin:

2009/10: EngHwa, GinSeng, Anna, PohSuan

2008/09: KhaiShing & RachelThum

P.S. This blogpost is to compile everything about UGRAD so that I can use it as a link to attach the pics.

Secret to Success?

Thanks to LiYin for sharing this on fb. Short & simple, but yet worth giving some thoughts to it.

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...."your interests are the first and most obvious sign that you are not the same as everyone else. And so, to live a strong, successful life, your interests are the first thing you must take seriously.

A great many people don't. They are quick to discount their interests. They make mental trade-offs with themselves, saying things like,"I'm really interested in teaching, but I want to make a lot of money first. So I'll go into banking, work hard for ten years, and then give it up and go teach." or,"I'm interested in art, but I can't make a living at it. So I'll go get a real job and then do my art at nights on weekends.

In almost every instance these trades are bad trades. They force you to do something almost impossible: put your real personality on hold and then try to bring back to life at some point in the future.

The problem is that while you're waiting for the future to arrive, you spend hour upon hour, for years at a time, doing things that don't interest you. And this takes it's toll. Even if you manage o perform well in this "non-you" role, it still takes it's toll. Your motivation suffers. Your confidence suffers. Interesting people attract others,and with your interest disengaged from your work, you become less attractive, less fun to be around, less energetic. You slowly lose your sense of who you are and what you can do. And so when that "future" finally arrives, you aren't the same person anymore. You've lost yourself along the way.

Don't let this happen to you. Don't make this trade. Look closely at your interests and take them seriously. Start pursuing your life toward them now."

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In fact, this is nothing new to us...especially Asians. We all used to have ambitions when we were young, but how many of us are actually pursuing our so-called 'ambitions' now? I admit, 'accountant' or 'auditor' was never on my list but here I am now, trying hard to pass ACCA and it's almost certain that I'll step into audit upon graduation.

People always say follow your dreams, but, what about being realistic and down to earth? These 2 things seldom come in pair...although we've seen people who've achieved both...but are we ever gonna be like one of them? I doubt. I've had different interests that are totally unrelated to accountancy, I won't say what they are but I think most of them fits the characteristics of being a left-hander. I guess I'm also one of the many who fell into the trap of making the mental trade-off. But let's face the fact, as much as we want to follow our interests, we still tend to fall back to the 'safety zone', getting a degree (doctor, lawyer, engineer, accountant, etc) that will guarantee us a job in the future. It's not just about money, it's more about security...taking the route that has a clearer road map, at least it gives us more certainty.

Following your passion and perhaps choosing the road less traveled by definitely requires a lot of courage. If your interest is something realistic, then that's great. But what if it's something else, something different? There are certain things where you've either gotta be the best to be successful or you'll be getting nowhere. "Having interest doesn't mean you'll do well in it; doing well in something doesn't mean you're interested in it."

I've got a friend who took the bold step of giving up her degree in medicine and pursued her interest in photography. I really admire her courage and I do believe that she'll make it big someday. Here are some pics of New York from her 'point of view'...check out how her photos tell stories.

~Life Doesn't Hold Tryouts~

So, what do you think? Just sharing some thoughts, hope I didn't sound too pessimistic.