i'm really not the cold call kinda gal. Yesterday i emailed one of the wholesalers via an email form (gah!) and im just wondering, what if they never reply? Should I call? I want to look for the boss but then I don't dare to call and ask for the boss. Gosh. What should I do? I really need to interview them. Help! I guess knowing the boss' dad doesn't work. :(
when do you think they will call me back? when should i start calling them? omfg nervous!
Please reply me soon! *pray*
Update @ 21 Nov 08 12:31PM
Still no reply from them. If by monday nothing happens I need to execute plan B. oh gawd... :( please please please email me back!
Update @ 23 Nov 08 10:00PM
I got a call from somebody from the company! Don't know if it's the boss or not but I can have an interview on Thursday! HURRAY!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Letter to a potential environmental geography undergrad
One of my professors got an email inquiry from a potential undergrad interested in conservation and a geography degree. She was interested to know how conservation and geography degree could be related and the prof ask a few of us "environmentally inclined" geog students to email her. I thought I'll share my long enthusiastic email. It'll probably apply to any students who might be interested in doing geography in NUS and interested in the environment!
Update @ 21 Nov 2008, 1:08AM
I realize that this has been advertised on WildSingapore so it's going to be read by more than I expected. That's quite worrying because I don't think that this "letter" is neither comprehensive nor representative about geography, conservation-studies nor environmental geography. It's just a little bit about my experiences and mostly because the person was interested in Geography at NUS so my sharing was very biased. Absolutely PR. Of course there is more that I have not written. I often personally attribute most of what I learn not from my geography classes but to all the other activities and opportunities that I got through my time in university and this is not limited to Geography. From being with toddycats to writing my thesis, joining beachfleas, NHC and now TLW, my journey is still going on. Of course I've also been limited by Geography but purely my own fault for not becoming a physical geographer. I should be measuring things out there right now but I never did very well at that. Drats! So I've actually discovered what I'm better at and focus on my own niche. The self-discovery is still continuing today! I definitely can't claim to know it all already. It's quite true what they say, "the more you know, the more you realize you know nothing".
"Well personally I would say that Geography comes closest to environmental studies in Singapore without becoming an engineer or scientist. Geography covers topics of human-nature relationship and issue amongst other things :) If you are more inclined towards the sciences, we also have physical geography that covers many aspects from hydrology, coastal geomorphology to biogeography. Personally I'm doing more environmental geography. Right now I'm actually doing my Masters and I'm researching on ethical food production and Singapore's ecological footprint, farmers environmental behaviour, etc :) For my honors thesis, I looked into social capital and networks in nature conservation.
What more, in NUS, there is also lots of opportunities to go overseas for student exchange and field studies. I did both. For student exchange, I went to University of California, Santa Barbara where I did geography and environmental studies and got even more exposure to different topics like environmental planning, etc. For field studies, we spend 1.5 months in Thailand where we get to do research in the field! I did that in my first year and learnt a lot about sustainable resource management by the ethnic minorities in the northern thailand highlands :) This is actually a module where you earn 8MC (equivalent of 2 classes in NUS) by having fun overseas doing really cool gungho fieldwork research haha :) So all this I got to do thanks to geography at NUS. They really encourage students and give them lots of opportunities to try many many things.
But at the same time, in NUS, you also need to do other modules from other departments and faculty. So this is where you can learn more by taking modules in biology or any other departments that you might be interested in. I did a lot of modules from biology to supplement my own understanding.
NUS also offers joint programs with University of North Carolina and the Department of Biology also offers a minor with overseas university for all students in NUS so you can do geography and the minor and it'll be just as good as any environmental studies or management bachelor program in the world :) In fact, in many universities, the env studies program is an interdisciplinary program where many of the professors are actually from geography!"
Update @ 21 Nov 2008, 1:08AM
I realize that this has been advertised on WildSingapore so it's going to be read by more than I expected. That's quite worrying because I don't think that this "letter" is neither comprehensive nor representative about geography, conservation-studies nor environmental geography. It's just a little bit about my experiences and mostly because the person was interested in Geography at NUS so my sharing was very biased. Absolutely PR. Of course there is more that I have not written. I often personally attribute most of what I learn not from my geography classes but to all the other activities and opportunities that I got through my time in university and this is not limited to Geography. From being with toddycats to writing my thesis, joining beachfleas, NHC and now TLW, my journey is still going on. Of course I've also been limited by Geography but purely my own fault for not becoming a physical geographer. I should be measuring things out there right now but I never did very well at that. Drats! So I've actually discovered what I'm better at and focus on my own niche. The self-discovery is still continuing today! I definitely can't claim to know it all already. It's quite true what they say, "the more you know, the more you realize you know nothing".
encyclopedia entry about vegetables
Today, got an email about a new publication on environmental issues (green energy, green politics and green food). Of course green food is right up my alley...
This publication is an online reference resource like an encyclopedia. There is a list of topics sent out and vegetables was still not yet taken! It just felt like such a sign to me. I just emailed the managing author with my research interest and tried very hard explaining why i have no publications to show for. Sigh. But I don't have anything else except one newsletter article for SEC and the many booklets I wrote for NHB. Ok, that hopefully counts for something.
The editor for NatureWatch has been chasing me to write something. I really should take the opportunity to write more for them! It's almost like a willing audience... C'mon gambarimasu monkey!
I really hope that the editor comes back favourably. It's really quite something to write on your CV that you were a contributing author for SAGE Publications!
Update @ 20 Nov
The managing author came back with monkey's first academic "publication" woohoo! well i mean she'll let me write so that's good yay! The down side (or maybe it's a good thing too) is that the topic is US-centric so I have to do extra research.
She wrote:
"Just to give you a little direction, you may want to cover ways of growing "green" vegetables, and the impact on the environment by farmers as they grow vegetables in non-green ways. Also, the stress should be a US focus as the audience is US students."
Gosh ok I really need to go read up now! Maybe Masao's wife can help give me a few advice. Hmmm Hope all goes well.
This publication is an online reference resource like an encyclopedia. There is a list of topics sent out and vegetables was still not yet taken! It just felt like such a sign to me. I just emailed the managing author with my research interest and tried very hard explaining why i have no publications to show for. Sigh. But I don't have anything else except one newsletter article for SEC and the many booklets I wrote for NHB. Ok, that hopefully counts for something.
The editor for NatureWatch has been chasing me to write something. I really should take the opportunity to write more for them! It's almost like a willing audience... C'mon gambarimasu monkey!
I really hope that the editor comes back favourably. It's really quite something to write on your CV that you were a contributing author for SAGE Publications!
Update @ 20 Nov
The managing author came back with monkey's first academic "publication" woohoo! well i mean she'll let me write so that's good yay! The down side (or maybe it's a good thing too) is that the topic is US-centric so I have to do extra research.
She wrote:
"Just to give you a little direction, you may want to cover ways of growing "green" vegetables, and the impact on the environment by farmers as they grow vegetables in non-green ways. Also, the stress should be a US focus as the audience is US students."
Gosh ok I really need to go read up now! Maybe Masao's wife can help give me a few advice. Hmmm Hope all goes well.
Commonwealth Scholarship
Just as I've given up hope on UK universities, the commonwealth scholarship for developed countries came under my radar.
"Applications for the 2009 Commonwealth Scholarship for students from the Commonwealth to study in the United Kingdom are now open. The Scholarship is for study at PhD level in the UK in 2009. Candidates may also apply for a “split-site” award for one year’s study in the UK as part of a PhD being taken in Singapore. We should encourage our best students to apply."
Details on the Commonwealth Scholarship may be found at this website: http://www.cscuk.org.uk/2009ScholarshipstodevelopedCommonwealth.asp
After talking to Lucian today at lunch, I'm wondering if I should apply for studies straight away or just stick to my work plan. Cause for concern is that such opportunities and information may not be available to me once I graduate! :( Maybe I can tell pauline to keep me in the loop...
"Applications for the 2009 Commonwealth Scholarship for students from the Commonwealth to study in the United Kingdom are now open. The Scholarship is for study at PhD level in the UK in 2009. Candidates may also apply for a “split-site” award for one year’s study in the UK as part of a PhD being taken in Singapore. We should encourage our best students to apply."
Details on the Commonwealth Scholarship may be found at this website: http://www.cscuk.org.uk/2009ScholarshipstodevelopedCommonwealth.asp
After talking to Lucian today at lunch, I'm wondering if I should apply for studies straight away or just stick to my work plan. Cause for concern is that such opportunities and information may not be available to me once I graduate! :( Maybe I can tell pauline to keep me in the loop...
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
field studies 2009
bumped into CGW outside the office just now and asked about field studies and i think i got myself drafted. i have been contemplating it ever since i got "liberated". i wonder if it would be a good decision though...if i were looking for job... or what if i had to finish my thesis or rewrite? omg. this means that i have to finish my thesis by APRIL. Hey that's an incentive to write faster. write faster then maybe monkey can go thailand and find a nice handsum thai boy! haha oh gawd im despicable. alright alright, i am going there because i miss thailand dammit. and also because if im really interested in working on becoming a southeast asianist i need to work on my field experience.
sometimes i really wonder what i'm up to. on the other hand my family wants to go hokkaido around that time of the year next year and they did invite me to go along... dammit. japan. hokkaido. thailand. cute boys. omg i cannot decide~ haha hope i can have my cake and eat it too. Slurp~
This would be my last chance to do field studies before i go overseas to do phd or start work in gahmen, etc. but i have to start applying for job in january. get a job for 1 year in civil service singapore or international orgs and then do my phd? must do my GRE in january too... after i pass my driving test! But I think I should write my thesis first before thinking about phd proposals...
When I'm in AAG in March I should definitely be ready to talk to potential supervisors for Fall Admission 2010.
February must be finished with my paper to submit to competition and maybe churn out something from my honors. damn im screwy
Must remember to email CGW at the end of the year to talk about this again.
sometimes i really wonder what i'm up to. on the other hand my family wants to go hokkaido around that time of the year next year and they did invite me to go along... dammit. japan. hokkaido. thailand.
This would be my last chance to do field studies before i go overseas to do phd or start work in gahmen, etc. but i have to start applying for job in january. get a job for 1 year in civil service singapore or international orgs and then do my phd? must do my GRE in january too... after i pass my driving test! But I think I should write my thesis first before thinking about phd proposals...
When I'm in AAG in March I should definitely be ready to talk to potential supervisors for Fall Admission 2010.
February must be finished with my paper to submit to competition and maybe churn out something from my honors. damn im screwy
Must remember to email CGW at the end of the year to talk about this again.
where did all the cameron veggies go?
went to the supermarket just now to do some market research... literally
and lo and behold
all my cameron highland vegetables are no where to be seen!
replaced by genting highlands and thailand veggies!
wtf! so ok, thygrace and grace cup is a repeating feature
ok very very scary
what happen to my other big suppliers?
no kc kwang and sons? no freshever?
well zenxin is out and about so that means it's possible that the veggie is from cameron organic produce but COP is also reducing their exports to zenxin already. gawd i need to interview the singapore importers and this is freaking me out. sigh
This is bad for my research
and lo and behold
all my cameron highland vegetables are no where to be seen!
replaced by genting highlands and thailand veggies!
wtf! so ok, thygrace and grace cup is a repeating feature
ok very very scary
what happen to my other big suppliers?
no kc kwang and sons? no freshever?
well zenxin is out and about so that means it's possible that the veggie is from cameron organic produce but COP is also reducing their exports to zenxin already. gawd i need to interview the singapore importers and this is freaking me out. sigh
This is bad for my research
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
SALM certification
My new transcriber has been superbly efficient, churning out transcripts like a machine! *deeply impressed* Today she emailed to ask about "SHALAM", the Malaysian Good Agriculture Practices certification. Officially known as SALM (Skim Amalan Ladang Baik Malaysia). (DOA Website) So while at it, I also told her about SOM (Skim Organik Malaysia) and found the Department of Agriculture (Jabatan Pertanian) websites and some posters of the skims.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
