There’s this part of my life that I just want to share with you, because it had really made a difference and totally changed my mind set. Something else about it is that the change in my life just happened only a few hours ago, so frames of the moment are still captured clearly in my mind.
So I’ll begin with the day itself, woke up as usual, put on my contacts, styled my hair, which I just cut it a week ago, but through rapid growth rate, I got a hair forest on top of my head already.
So, basically we’re all gathered here to go for a National Conference, MyLDS 2009 (Malaysia Leadership Development Seminar)! Hearing from my seniors, MyLDS is always a turning point where their life changes entirely.
This year, UUM is hosting it, so, delegates from all around Malaysia will be gathering at the upmost north of the country, for us peeps in KL, the journey itself is a 7-hour bus ride!! We took off around 2pm, with that, we just made our first step towards MyLDS!!
When we reached UUM, it was almost 12am, and unfortunately for some of the delegates, who didn’t do this earlier, they have to stay up a bit longer to fill up some survey to get a general category of where they belong in terms of personality, so that we will be clear of who we really are, to really understand our strengths and weaknesses.
The next day, and the 1st day of MyLDS, we have an unexpected guest who is previously an AIESECer as well, and made most out from it, and her role in this National Conference is something like the Head Facilitator.
What we AIESECers love most is Roll Calls!! It‘s like cheers and we do lots of line dancing, or known as square dance in AIESEC. I learnt some pretty fun and cool ones, being pumped up by the songs, it really does get your body moving!!
After the self discovery sessions, Gala Dinner was up next! Everybody was trying to look their best, and truly enough they did! Guys are smart with their shirts tucked in, and hair above their head would be very neat or attractive in some cases. Ladies on the other hand are simply dazzling, from the heels they painfully sacrificed their feet to be both taller and sexier, up to the amazing gowns and dresses they put on to entertained the crowd, lots of ladies from my LC (Local Committee) really smack jaw-dropped expressions of the guys faces, which means something really good. I bet they will smack their faces on walls or poles if they are walking if any of our ladies happened to passed by them.
Lots of photos taken, lots of feet aching, sweats in the air after our intense dance out and posing for the cameras. Tiring night – day 1
One thing about the morning is the shower. Cold water in the morning is something I have to get used to. Breakfasts are getting cuter each day, why? Because of the way people are eating it. Instead of taking out the cutlery we packed which is intended to use during meals, we starting squeezing the meals out from the plastic bags which contains it. So it’s like eating bread, but instead of bread, it is mee or mihun! Very funny looking at how people eat right from the plastic bags, some of them which I saw where the noodles can fly to all parts of the face.
During the noon till evening is how one would fit in nicely in a group while working with all sorts of different kinds of personality, it’s really an eye opener. After dinner was connection time! This is like a sharing session, but the people who are sharing are amazing people who gone through experiences like no other. I was one of the listeners to Geraldine Sandra Sebastian. People around here called her Sandy. She intended to be a chemist, somebody who will be in the lab day in day out, mixing chemicals and stuffs, and she worked in Carlsberg for a short duration of time too, but when she tried that out, she found out it was simply too boring for her, like a bird trapped in a cage, she knows something out there has more fun and challenging waiting for her.
She was an AIESECer as well, and during then, AIESEC was the only route out for her besides her studies, and Sandy was in the External Relations department, where she will be meeting important people from major companies in the corporate world, and she meets them to sell the GTP (Global Talent Program – which focuses on bringing international interns to work in the company.) However, as she was doing that, she’s also making her mark in the industry too, she’s blessed with a very nice pair of lips, so she converses very well with the corporate manager, and leaving an impression that wouldn’t be forgotten that easily. By the time she was about the graduate, she was offered with jobs from companies she had made contact with during the past.
Other facts about her is that, through AIESEC, she has travelled lots and lots of places around the globe, and having great chances to meet great people from the four corners of the world. How did she do that? Through the connections she made with the companies and such, she’s able to get some financial aid from here and there, at the end, she has enough for her to attend International Conferences that’s happening everywhere. Learning about how she does this is really awesome and at the same time, you can see how AIESEC really provides opportunities to people who grabbed on to it.
After that session, it was CUP NOODLE Party! Adding a twist to it, chosen delegates will be sculling with it. “Sculling” is something like swallowing or finishing the drink as soon as possible in a group with specific rules set. One of them are, thumbs are not to leave the table, and avoiding spillage will be better for the group. Here’s how the thing starts, 1, Thumbs on the table~ ( the crowd will say after it) 2, Chins on the table~, 3, Eyes on the cup~ 4, one, two, SCULL~!
The crowd will be cheering (ikki ikki ikki, ai ai ai) repeatedly for morale purposes~! This was my 1st times sculling, but not the 1st time seeing one, I haven’t got the chance to be involved in it the 1st time I seen it, so I was telling myself, *this is it, another chance just appeared and I better grab it before I regretted like last time.* Something to be proud of is that LCTUC got into the finals! And I was the last sculler for the team! Basically, swallowing down Maggie mee is a bit of a challenge, some can just gulped it down, I need to take a chew or twice to stuff in down my throat. So, in the end, we were the 1st runner up! Maggie mee soup was on my hair too.
The next day – day 3, a more challenging task is awaiting us delegates, because we’re having our own version of “The Apprentice”! The leader of each group has to oversee everything, and distribute the tasks accordingly to the subgroup leaders and such, all in all, communication is crucial. The group who can communicate among each other the best would be the winner, at the end of the session, every group member has to think of a unique way of selling their products, and it is very entertaining to listen to people desperately selling their products who even took to an exaggerated extent.
Fourth day here! This was one of my favourite days, the day that I was truly inspired!
Our first speaker, Joel Neoh, a person who has always seeks out for more challenges and obstacles, and overcome them. He came to talk to us about entrepreneurship and how he started off and such. He started his speech by telling us who he is. From age 0 – 6, he claimed it as his carefree life, where every day is another day to play. 6-18 was the stage of life where he is just being studious, as what his parents wanted him to do, get a promising job with a fixed income. But then he thought to himself, saying he this is going to be a bit boring, so he took up rock climbing, and ended up getting a national rock climber recognition as well. After that, he went on pursuing an Engineering Degree, but soon later, he got bored again, and ventured into the modeling world. As expected, he did great in it as well, getting front covers on Men’s Health Magazine and posing for Levi’s Jeans. After he got a degree in Engineering, his mom immediately framed it up, before he could get a chance to photocopy it, and now it’s hanging by one of his walls.
One of his amazing experiences was being a part of “The Firm”, (something like Malaysia’s The Apprentice) There’s only two teams throughout the reality show, which is Team Dynamic and Team Momentum. Wherever Joel goes, that team will win, which is very impressive, he is the one who really sets the bar up higher, always wanting to climb greater heights than anybody else, and with that, he was the winner of “The Firm”. Some of us asked him, what’s the difference between vision and goal? The night before we discussed the difference between both of them, Vision – something might or might not be achieved and long term, Goals – something short-term, stepping stones for one to reach one’s vision. However, he gave us quite a shock, and laughter, when he answered, “There is nothing different between the both of them” “Visions, Goals, they are something you head towards, it’s just a different saying” After that, we had a little brainstorm on future products , regarding to the marketing needs, and I found out that, he’s thinking is really effective, he likes it to be direct, eg, a + b = c Which is easier for us (clients) to understand and them to focus on. This is something that I must learn from him, to keep my goals clear, so it is easier to aim for it!
Up next we have HIV/AIDS talk. After the session, we were crystal clear about the causes, transmissions and effects of HIV to the society. Message wanted to be sent from the speakers is the importance of safe sex. But there’s more to it. An inspirational sharing from one of the speakers brought tears to eyes and hearts of the people listening to it. The person had everything, wealth, power, snazzy attire, anything he wanted in life. One day, because of a wrong decision made, changed his life totally, and his perspective to life changed majorly as well. Being HIV positive, he’s more positive than anybody else, he lives the next day like another day being blessed upon. He wouldn’t want anybody else to make the mistake he did, so now he’s is one of the people in Pink Triangle. Spreading awareness to the youth which has the highest percentage of being infected with HIV.
Last but not least, Peter came from America spoke with us about the Environmental Sustainability. This is one of the talks that got us really thinking of the repercussions we’ve made when we’re unaware of. The Earth is slowly crumbling, the most logical solution for now is to conserve and preserve the Earth’s richest resources: Our Environment, Habitats for the Animals, and gifts born from the soil of Mother Earth. Example, a nice looking radio in green which cost let say, RM 4.99. You will walked past the shelf that was displaying it, and thought, “Wow, isn’t this a bit cheap for a radio like that” What the public is unaware of would be the materials gathered to manufacture this product is from all around the world, the plastic from petroleum, the metals from the soil, the assembling of the unit from another place in the world. That sounds like lots of money spent, but why does it only cost RM 4.99. Well, the price is already paid, through the deterioration of nature herself. We also pledge for a sustainable world by reducing the use of Polystyrene Foam. (Styrene is a possible human carcinogen – WHO) We were made to shout out the one little thing we could do to achieve the sustainable world, like “Reducing the use of Polystyrene, or Reduce the waste of Paper!” Little things like that may seem insignificant, but when the efforts are gathered in a large scale, an impact is made.
The next day was something that place high importance in AIESEC, the election of Member Committee President! I was among the lucky spectators who got the chance to be a witness to such significant process happening in AIESEC. One thing I gained from the candidates of the President is their passion towards the change they are going to make when they got the seat of President. A very inspiring to see them go all out for what they believe and to be done in the later future, with everyone supporting their goals, to bring that Vision that we all will share into reality.
That night, the 5th night, Global Village is here! Each LC is in charge of a country in the world, and we are to present them to the other delegates. Love to see the efforts put into the task given, in terms of the costume, the booth, the awesome presentations. It’s really an eye opener.
The Last day of MyLDS has arrived! Gosh, aren’t we sad about parting so soon. Something this great coming to an end will bring tears to faces.
To conclude this documentary, qualities I’ve learnt throughout this wonderful 6 days:
Communication among people – Team Activities
Grabbing Opportunities in life – Sandy
Having Clear Goals and Challenging something more – Joel
Being Positive and Optimistic in Life – HIV speaker
Being Aware of the Surrounding – Environmental Speaker, Peter
Passion towards something believed strongly – Candidates of MCP Election
What are we? Youth!
Where were we? MyLDS 2009, UUM, Kedah!!
What are we going to do? To create a positive impact in the society!!!
Who are we??? AIESECers!!!!!!
