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Love the Opportunity by Jim Rohn

Somebody said you have to love what you do, but that's not necessarily true. What is true is that you have to love the opportunity. The opportunity to build life, future, health, success and fortune. Knocking on someone's door or making that extra call may not be something you love to do, but you love the opportunity of what might be behind that door or call.

For example, a guy says, "I'm digging ditches. Should I love digging ditches?" The answer is, "No, you don't have to love digging ditches, but if it is your first entry onto the ladder of success, you say, 'I'm glad somebody gave me the opportunity to dig ditches and I'm going to do it so well, I won't be here long.'"

You can be inspired by having found something; even though you are making mistakes in the beginning and even though it is a little distasteful taking on a new discipline that you haven't learned before. You don't have to love it, you just have to learn to appreciate where you live, appreciate opportunity and appreciate the
person who brought you the good news; that found you. 

Appreciate the person who believed in you before you believed in yourself, appreciate the person who said, "Hey, if I can do it, you can do it."

If you will embrace the disciplines associated with the new opportunity you will soon find that your self-confidence starts to grow, that you go from being a skeptic to being a believer. And soon when you go out person to person, talking to people, you will find it to be the most thrilling opportunity in the world. Every person you
meet - what could it be? Unlimited! Maybe a friend for life. The next person could be an open door to retiring. The next person could be a colleague for years to come. It's big time stuff. And sometimes in the beginning when we are just getting started we don't always see how big it is.

So, before you are tempted to give up or get discouraged, remember all success is based on long term commitment, faith, discipline, attitude and a few stepping stones along the way. You might not like the stone you are on right now, but it's sure to be one of the stones that lead to great opportunities in the future.

Credit to: Uncle Nic, AIESEC alumnus, AIESEC in NTU 0607

AIESEC Singapore!

showcasing AIESEC Singapore

yay! received an email from David today, we're one of seven countries in AP to have tremendous absolute growth in exchange plus leadership. from 12 in term 0708, we have 65 in term 0809.

International Congress 2009 is where we will highlight and showcase AIESEC Singapore! whee, AB InBev awards!

almost all the interns i know of will be heading to malaysia for global village. we'll have tons of representatives to profile singapore!

offically on board 0910!

aloha MC 0910! it's official!

gildas will be here in about a week's time, gen has been adjusting to singapore for some time now :) wan xin's back from her cameroonian adventure...

our full team is raring to go!

Internship completed!

On 2nd August 710pm, I finally touched down on KL International Airport.

After I left Cameroon, I flew to Kenya, where I stayed there for 5 days, then to Thailand, then to Malaysia, and this Saturday, I will go back to Singapore.

I was wearing my çaba (a very big loose Cameroonian dress), samaras (bamboo Cameroonian sandals), and having my hair Africanly plaited to give my family a shock. I was taking a video as I walked out the arrival hall to capture their emotions. And guess what I saw!

And there were my family with a huge poster to welcome me home!

At that moment, the notion got instantly embedded in my brain - I AM HOME!

And now I am here, I am glad to announce that I have formally completed my internship and my adventure to Africa. It has been a super great journey. I can judge how life-changing it is yet, I guess I can only tell that when I resume the normal life routine, and then realise how different I view or I handle them. But one thing is for sure, it has been the best way for me to spend my summer holidays, learning so much, loving so much, and discovering so much. Thank you my dear MC, NST and not forgetting MCP, for supporting me throughout in terms of emotions or work. Now I am back, inspired to action!

My memorable moments of the trip:

• Fighting hard with homesickness halfway through my internship, with the warm support from friends from both Cameroon and Singapore. I emerged from this episode discovering a lot more about myself and my patterns of behavior.
• From being scared about my perceived overfriendliness of people to understanding it as a gesture of hospitality, and mingling into the culture of being friendly with everyone, to missing it when I am now back.
• Going to Kenya without knowing anything about the country and only two email correspondence with the MC, bagged only with one belief that someone will be there to pick me up and to house me. The reality didn't fail my belief.
• An AIESEC member declaring that his vision is to solve Africa food shortage problem, and he has been consistently emailing me to update me about his progress to his vision.
• During Cameroon national planning meeting time, it rained so heavily that the electricity got cut. The EBs and MCs continued with a lamp all the way till 11pm.
• An AIESEC member came to my accommodation to just see how I am doing after I reached my internship city, to speak with me and help me to plait my hair.
• Having instantly 40 friends in Kenya through attending one gathering.
• In Kenya, I met an Austrian intern and got to know he knew my TN when my TN was doing his internship in Austria, and met another Canadian intern who is a friend of my mentor Celine!

Great Sales Resources

Sorry if I made you think it was Great Singapore Sales with the words 'Great' and 'Sales'.

I am doing a marketing and sales internship in Cameroon now, and during my sales breaks I read quick guides to improve my skills. I have found some good ones written by sales coach and authors, here are the links for the tough ones doing sales out there. They are short and crisp, so suitable for all the people who have too much for too little time.

The first 7 seconds of Cold Call
Why should you not ask how are you? How do you phrase your offer to attract? How can you prevent a monologue?

Company meeting - Customize your knowledge
Company meetings are for not for you to prove how much you know, but to what you don't know about the prospect or what the prospect don't know about you. What questions can you ask to uncover these?

Make Winning Follow Up
How can you turn a follow up email into a value-adding email for your prospects? How can you remind the prospects the reasons behind listening to you? Includes really good follow up templates.

Basic (But Effective) Sales Styles and Tips
Really basic guides. So it's a good check to see if you have gotten the basic rules right. Main idea: Be a resource for your prospects, not a salesman.

Amazingly inspiring Phonecalls in the AIESEC Office

I have been working in the AIESEC office at SMU ever since my exams ended in late May 09. I would like to take this opportunity to share with all of you the amazing discovery that I made during this short stint.

- I have received a couple of random overseas phonecalls on the fax machine from AIESECers abroad asking if we have any TNs currently available.

My take on this:

"Singapore is a place with lots of opportunity and its definitely a destination which AIESECers from abroad would want to work in. What I mean here is the excellent environment which we have that is so enriching.

So for each call I receive, I have to sorrowfully reject them as we did not have any available forms (at least during that point in time; made me feel so upset). The point is if we are able to manage and increase our incoming sales capacity, we will be so so so so HOT. In fact, I dare say the hottest in the AP. So yeahhh...our OGX is good but do not forget that we have massively untapped opportunity and potential on the ICX side as well.

So for all our people...I would like to tell that we need and we must make sales a priority which we should grow for the long term viability of the organisation. Imagine with more TNs raised...how many lives are you contributing to (in terms of the @XP). Not forgetting that when the trainees do come in, they too can greatly contribute to our community...See the multiplied effect ...We send many people out...but we also need to take people in...

No point giving all the time...we are generous, but we should also be "gracious" to receive.

Takeaway for the day: Give and receive at the same time...."

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"pUsH iT ahhh pUsH iT ahhh pUsH iT rEaL gOoD..."

MCVPER and Corporate Relations Manager Selected!

Dear all!

I was recently busy with the MCVPER selections, and I am extremely overjoyed to announce that we've completed our MC0809 team!

2 very outstanding individuals will be joining us on MC0809: the Groundbreakers . *Drumrolls* They are...
Gildas Yombi, Cameroon (MCVPER)
Genevieve Marett, Australia (Corporate Relations Manager)

I had a skype call with Gen earlier at about 2.30AM in Australia. She was trying hard to contain her excitement because her family was asleep and she didn't want to wake them up.

According to me, I am amused that our international MC nicks were uncannily similar. Gilda's was "Hello AIESEC Singapore, here I come!!!" and Gen's "AIESEC Singapore here I come!". I am proud of our international MC and I am absolutely delighted that they are thrilled too! :D

I will be updating this space to introduce them soon. In the meantime, you might want to try out connecting with them via facebook. :D

Woo hoo! 1st coherent AIESEC Product sheet!

OOoooh babbeh babbeh~~ ahh after spending a whole afternoon and some parts of the night on it, it's finally done...The birth of the first coherent and !!pretty!! AIESEC Product sheet! I took so much pain in the layout design and drafting the content that i'm damn proud of myself now and i just have broadcast it to the world...hahaha. =D

looking on the dark side, this is just the first of many more to come...=_=

Exited about AIESEC.net mail migration!

AIESEC.net mail is going to migrate to gmail!

The whole team is pretty excited about this (esp me who is the ultimate geek). Having a dedicated gmail server for aiesec.net emails definitely ups our internal branding (members might get a sense of pride that aiesec.net mail is more zng than other company mails), enhances email communication (no more "huh you sent me an email?" moments), and helps strengthen AIESEC's image as a global organization (now we can send @aiesec.net emails in peace instead of using our personal accounts).

Gmail as AIESEC.net mail really doesn't come cheap; http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/details.html shows that it's $50/user/year. I'm pretty sure there's some sort of agreement and AIESEC gets it much cheaper, but in any case any cost incurred IMO is rather worth it. Regular users of aiesec.net will know that it's not the most stable email system, and there are many opportunity costs to not having a stable mailing system. Kudos AI for the move!

tinge of sadness amidst the newfound hope and happiness

hmm, i was still feeling the high of saying hello to 0910 yesterday, and had this awesome feeling of being absolutely proud of the results achieved in 0809.

today i received many farewell messages, i am beginning to feel a sense of melancholy.

today i had my last gcc meeting :( it was a great meeting, but at the same time, we won't ever be sitting in the same meeting ever again. i was reminded of the time last year when i received news that i was selected to the gcc, the absolute thrill of getting in.. what wonderful memories. :) now a year has flown by, and we've done many projects in this past year.

today, many of the 0809 presidents and teams step down, and everyone's saying goodbye.

yet it is also marks the new start for many 0910 presidents (my fellow comrades!) to begin their term.

i wonder how i will feel next year! haha~ let's keep an eye on this spot till next year k!

The New Year Ahead.... :)

Hello team Groundbreakers!! ;)

Here's a little report on the achievements of AIESEC Singapore 2008/2009. We have achieved our exchange targets and I'm very proud of the efforts of the previous MC team and all the LCs! We managed to complete 109X as of this evening, a 65% growth from last year! :) This places us in a good position globally (although not within AP, we slipped the ranks). But no worries, we will grab our position back and make an even stellar comeback!

Yes! Most countries globally are starting to wake up to AIESEC 2010 and our vision - every single day everyone is better understanding what the organization should be doing : the full AIESEC XP! Competition will be tougher than ever within the global network but I absolutely have faith in every single one of you to deliver on our goals! :D

1200X here we come! Are you ready for a year ahead of working smart, being fully aware of our resources and making full use of them? ;D

Our term begins tomorrow 8am :D

Cheers,
Cheryl

Destroy the Competition with Positioning Strategy

The Corner Office

Destroy the Competition With Positioning Strategy

By Steve Tobak

June 4th, 2009 @ 12:22 pm

An exasperated CEO stood up in the board meeting and exclaimed, “Is that all you marketing &#*$s know how to do, compete on price?!”

Before you get too excited, that CEO was cursing at me. And no, that wasn’t all I knew how to do. But he did have a point, and it’s even more relevant now than it was back then. In today’s marketplace where everybody’s competing for the same shrinking budget and differentiation is hard to come by, marketers often think of price as their only lever.

That’s just incompetent marketing, plain and simple.

There are lots of ways to differentiate a product. You can even create the perception of differentiation, if you’re creative enough. It’s called product positioning and it’s something of an art.

Here are Five fundamental product positioning principles that will help you destroy the competition:

1. Find a product attribute that captures the customer’s imagination.

It’s so easy to get trapped in the same old box of features and benefits. If you can’t differentiate that way, look at the problem with fresh eyes and fresh data. Find a new attribute that can get customers excited and focus your positioning around it.

2. Market share gains are expensive. There’s simply no way around this.

Market share comes at a heavy cost and your product planning and positioning must reflect that or your P&L will suffer and you’ll end up back at the drawing board. The cost is a function of how entrenched the leaders are and the perceived “switching cost” for customers.

3. Reinvent the “customer experience.”

Nothing matters more, and it’s not just for Internet and B2B. Just as with product attributes, you can shake up the competitive landscape by rethinking the customer experience in new terms. What’s important to customers changes as a function of time and market conditions. Take advantage of it.

4. Only target up, not down the totem pole.

Publicly and to customers, always position your product relative to the market leader. It elevates your product in terms of customer perception. That said, train your sales force (and other internal groups) on features - benefits versus all competitors. That’s a whole different story.

5. Infrastructure (or ecosystem) as a competitive barrier.

This is an important and often ignored aspect of product planning and positioning. Many products and services, especially in technology, require related companies and industries to support them in some way. If you get enough support for your product, it can be an extraordinarily effective competitive barrier that you can

use in positioning.

Here’s a great example that utilized four of the five principals. When Toyota entered the luxury automotive sector with the Lexus brand, it 1) made “ergonomics” and “quality” the new “performance” and “luxury,” 2) initially undercut the competition to gain entry and early market share, 3) created a lowstress and more respectful showroom experience, and 4) targeted Mercedes and BMW - up the totem pole.

Apple also uses positioning strategy extraordinarily well. Can you think of other examples?

Source: http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=2316&tag=nl.e713

AIESE Summer Packages for SIM, SMU and NTU

Input for ICX and OGX from the perspective of an EP

Being a person who actually goes through the exchange process has given me lots of new insights about how we can manage exchange better. I wish to share my insights here, in hope that it will help us to deliver high quality exchange!

For ICX:

Integration, not servicing

I had an integration officer, not reception officer. The notion of integration means I am guided to embed myself in the society and AIESEC activities, being introduced to LC members and build a network with them. It is a long-term thing, rather than a short-term reception. It’ll be great to have an integration syllabus so that every integration officer knows all the must-dos.

Bring the intern to register at respective embassy

I realized it is a must to register ourselves at our respective embassies when we will be staying at a foreign country for long, so that the embassy can contact us for activities or emergency. How important is this? For Malaysians, failure to do so can cost you your citizenship!

Ask for flight itinerary

Forget about asking for various flight information such as time and date, ask directly for the flight ticket or flight itinerary and every information is there accurately. It is a simple thing which unfortunately a lot of us don’t do!

Invite interns to update the preparation booklet

A local sees the country differently from a foreigner, and both groups give and need different information. Thus, inviting existing interns to share their experience on adaptation and put this information on preparation booklet can provide future incoming interns invaluable information that smoothen their preparation. For example, in Cameroon culture, every time you ask someone to go out and eat together, it means that you have to pay for the person. This is something every Cameroonian knows and thinks it’s normal for everywhere else, but it is definitely very different in other parts of the world, and this can cost interns a whole lot of money when we unknowingly asked people to eat out together! This sort of embedded information can only be sensed and pointed out by interns.

Interns want to be involved in AIESEC activities

Here we are treated like a member under the care of TM, and we are informed about LC meetings and various activities. Interns attend conferences here too. This has helped me to make friends with a lot more AIESEC members, and from there learn more about the society. INTRODUCE INTERNS FORMALLY TO THE LC AT LC MEETINGS. Let the intern do a self introduction, country presentation, have Q&A, etc.

Do talent management for your interns

Interns are a valuable asset to the LC. VPICX should know each intern’s strengths and introduce them to people who can tap into their strength. For example, Germans are well-known for being efficient, so the LCP learns from Jana the German intern on to run the LC more efficiently.

If possible, match TNs with real AIESEC EPs

Rather than pocket recruited EPs.
Real AIESECers are a source of inspiration to members and can provide valuable input and experience to our AIESEC functions. And this is a way to show our support for full AIESEC experience.

Match rightly

Make sure TN manager understands the job description well and have read the EP’s qualification well, to ensure a good fit between the job and the EP. After the match, initiate and facilitate the communication between EP and TN so that the EP and TN can better understand each other and clarify job scope.

Actively communicate with EPs and TN about the job

Here the TN mangers actively talk to EPs and TNs to check if everything is alright, and to assist their communication with each other, and to intervene when necessary. For example, my boss somehow didn’t know that I am only working 3 days for him and other 2 days for AIESEC PBOX. After I told my TN manager this, he helped me to communicate with the TN to smooth out everything. TN manager is sometimes the only source of help for EPs on work-related problem. So don’t run away from it!

For OGX:

Importance of proactiveness

It is a MUST for a person to be proactive to have a quality internship experience. To proactively adapt, proactively propose to the boss for more work when the the internship is too slack, proactively communicate with the TN manager if job reality and what was on the TN form does not match, proactively communicate with the boss for any dispute in work, proactively explore, proactively building own social network. Choose proactive people, or groom the EPs to be more proactive at Preparation Seminar.

Register at own embassy upon arrival

I realized it is a must to register ourselves at our respective embassies when we will be staying at a foreign country for long, so that the embassy can contact us for activities or emergency. How important is this? For Malaysians, failure to do so can cost you your citizenship!

Remind EPs on country presentation

At quality LCs, EPs will be doing country presentation to the LC, so remind EPs on preparing powerpoint presentation, food, and costumes.

Ensure quality communication throughout

After match, EP managers should ask EPs to proactively talk to TN manager and TN to find out more about job demand and country information. This sets them the expectation that you are there for serious internship, and will motivate them to give you a fulfilling internship. Stay communicated with your EPs after realization, to assist in any disputes that can arise. You may be far, but you may be the only source of help for the EP who can be helplessly alone in the new country!

Introduce previous EPs to the EPs

Yuan Tian introduced me an EP who did an internship in Nigeria, and Rina introduced me a lot of people who come from Cameroon. This helped me heaps in my preparation!

Using AIESEC as a platform to even out disparity among nations

How is Cameroon like?
Cameroon is a relatively stable and safe country among all African nations. They do not have people dying of hunger, they do not have civil unrest or political uprise. The country is trying to develop itself, and the youths are trying to strive to fulfill their life goals.

The little huge problem called computer inavailability
Through observation and discussion with the locals, I feel that the main hindrance to their advancement is lack of infrastructure. The roads are not well paved, power and water supply are inconsistent, internet has been around since 1996 but till now they are running at a speed of 215kb/s still. Most importantly, computer is still a rare thing here. And this is depriving the people the very important tool in this information era, be it to manage and create information using the computer or to get connected to the world wide web.

How is it like in AIESEC Cameroon?
In AIESEC Cameroon, only the MC office has computers. Two computers excluding two MCs’ personal laptops. The LC members work on cyber cafés, which isn’t just expensive, but filled with viruses. The rate is around 1.5SGD per hour. If this seems little to you, consider the living cost here of 2SGD for a decent meal, and the unstable 215kb/s internet connection speed which inevitably lengthens the usage. Think about the high dependence on myaiesec.net nowadays among AIESECers, and think the impact of having no easy computer access. Furthermore, having no computer means that it is impossible for them to create any handouts, write and store any meeting minutes, or design marketing materials.

Being moved to action
Apart from feeling fortunate when I witness this situation, I have been thinking about how we can utilize the AIESEC platform to even out this inequality. In Singapore, people change their laptop every 3-5 years, or once it goes slower. Here, the computers are still having floppy disk slots.

How about if we organize a PBOX on Information Technology, focusing on the collection of computers and to contribute to the Cameroonian society, and send members here to educate people on computer and internet skills? We may perhaps have members from AIESEC Cameroon here also to experience how helpful internet usage can be, and at the same time contribute their insights to ensure that the PBOX is effective? There are some international organizations working on this issue already, such as Microsoft, and we can partner with them. National Youth Council has grants that financially supports overseas project. In AIESEC Cameroon, they are running a PBOX called swITch too, which is focusing on Information Technology. I have discussed this with the MC and we feel that there is a huge opportunity for partnership between a developed nation and a developing nation.

Our role in the world
AIESEC is one international organization which we can bring about changes across nations. Given the precious opportunity for me to be here to see the reality in a land so far away and so unknown to many, I feel that we can do this something to have the positive impact in society. What do you think?

If anyone, after reading this, is motivated and moved to take some action, I am available by email for discussion, or to introduce you to the relevant AIESEC members here. Apart from this issue, I am keen to share any insights I can gather in my exchange here too. My email is wanxin86@hotmail.com.

We have the capacity to change for the better. We should not wait anymore for anyone. The power lies in us.

To chair is to adapt

Oolala thank you so much Cheryl for sharing my news with everyone! It is really helpful for me when internet is so scarce here! I stole time from my working today, and pasted this entry I wrote on my own laptop before posting it here. Enjoy!

I am truly grateful for the rare opportunity to chair the national conference before the start of my internship. It was perhaps the best positive pressure for me to adapt.

I arrived in Douala on 9^th May 1120pm. Conference pre-meeting started on 10^th May 9am, which was supposed to be hosted by the chair. Diana helped me to do the first session. That moment onwards, I knew I have to get out of my protective shell, and get out faster than normal people because I have a role to play. So from lunch onwards, I started proactively making conversations with people, learning more about people, the society and AIESEC Cameroon. The facilitators were really helpful for preparing me. The moment when I feel truly integrated was perhaps during the AIESEC dance time at night. Dancing in unison always makes one feel a part of the community. From that moment onwards, I am really feeling like I am the chair of the conference!

Being a chair was an interesting experience. I have to manage different groups of people without really knowing what the situation is like, and even better, without really knowing if what you are saying is right. People expect a lot from the chair to take the lead. Thus, after finding out from everyone that we more or less share the same expectation, I started assuming more that it is somewhat like a conference in Singapore. I am glad these assumptions held true.

There is always this very big task for the chair apart from all the formal responsibilities – to manage the time. It was an ever bigger challenge for me here, because Cameroonians do not have too much concept about time. When people said ‘I am coming’, it means 20 more minutes. When they said 15 minutes more, it means an hour more. I had to fight against all these to ensure that the conference run according to the agenda. So the OC and faci heard a lot from me asking ‘How much exact time will you take to come?’, ‘What do you mean by “I’m coming”?’.After the first day, everyone would giggle if someone else dare to say ‘I am coming’. Haha.

Everyone had a conception that Asians are very reserved people. Belinda described Asians as ‘talk and die’. So when they saw me hosting the opening plenary speaking a lot and fluently, they were very surprised. The fact that I am speaking already made my performance surpassed their expectation. Having people viewing you positively makes a lot of things easier. And somehow my way of speaking, my intonation, my pronounciation, my ‘cool?’ gesture, the way I run around, the way I dance intrigued them a lot too, perhaps it was all because it was different from their preconception.

The delegates were really nice, friendly and mature. They would pay full attention to me when I was speaking, responding to me in unison every time I asked ‘Cool?’, coming to me just to say ‘bon apetite’ when I am having my meals, and even cooperating with me to keep quiet after I told them my throat is sore. They love photo-taking. Everyday, every break, as long as I walked about in the plenary, I would be caught to take pictures with them. And one request would usually lead to 10 other requests. The delegates would grab me, hold my hands, hold my shoulders, or attempt to hug or kiss me. But they had respect for the chair. So after one delegate stunned me by kissing on my cheeks to bid good night, and another delegate found out that I am not alright with these French culture, the next day onwards, no one dares to do so again.

Because the people I was interacting with were AIESECers, it means that they are a lot more open to sharing, and I could ask interesting questions that I would not dare to ask otherwise, for example, "Are all Cameroonians sexually active?", "Why do you guys not use fans?", "How is the HIV/AIDS situation here?", "What do you think is the root of problems here in Africa?" etc. Of course, all due respect is given. I enquired for this information for intellectual curiosity. =P

The delegates have also surprised me with their vision. And they surprised me more with the determination in them to achieve their vision. Many of them want to improve various aspect of Africa. Berlin wanted to solve the food shortage problem, Arnaud wanted to be the richest young man so that he could inspire the others, another wanted to set up many enterprises, another wanted to manage Africa properly. It is truly noble of them to have realised these problems, and remained determined to stay and improve the situation, instead of going away in search of a better land. And the speech from CEO of Standard Chartered Bank has helped nailed in their vision. He said, ‘Many people, when they face problems, abandon the problems and go to a better place. The great people like Nelson Mandela and Lee Kuan Yew (he mentioned him because I was there) stayed with the problems and perfect them.’ I really wish that these youths can stay with their vision, and work on them for a better Africa. And I really wish that we from the better world can work with them to make things come true. Watch out for my next posts on possible collaboration!

Apart from the people that are so refreshing, the conference organisation was an eye opener too. Air-conditioning is not at all common here, so we had our plenary in a little hall in a hotel with fans. And the hotel is nothing to compare with any hotel in Singapore. During the opening plenary on the first night, the electricity went off when the delegates were setting their goals. No one complained. We stayed with the dark until the managers started their generators. Such power cut situation was plentiful for the rest of the days. The delegates made do without fans, the facilitators made do without powerpoint presentations. Budget problem was a huge problem for the OC this year. On the second day of the conference, the facilitators had to move out from our apartment to another hotel because it saved them some money. The OC didn’t have money to print handouts, and the MCP eventually took out his own money for the printing. We cut down on flipcharts, and even replaced lunch with coffee break. No one complained, even though that was not normal even here. The maturity level is amazing. Think about bringing this spirit back to Singapore.

For myself, I feel really fortunate to have such loving people to be the delegates for the first conference that I chaired. Their positive response kept me motivated throughout, even when I had 1 hour sleep or when I eventually fell sick. I didn’t need to resort to recall previous conferences to boost my energy. I have also opened my eyes to more things that can happen in a conference, some of which may not be pleasant, but definitely eye-opening. After the facilitators were downgraded to another hotel, that hotel has no shower head. Instead, there is a bucket of water, and I had to scoop water out using my palms to pour that little water on my body to clean it. The first time I saw that bucket, I was totally clueless. I thought this was bad enough. The third evening before the official dinner, there was power cut when I was taking that bucket bath! I was caught in absolute darkness, still having soap on my body, and I couldn’t see a thing. The other facilitators were completely at ease, but I was totally driven mad. I struggled to find my towel, put on my dress and 4-inch heels, walked on them on a pitch dark uneven mud road filled with rocks and stones, cursing and swearing in my heart. I couldn’t put on any make-up, and I considered that as totally unacceptable! It maddened me more when I saw all other facilitators still staying calm and happy. Seeing others like that made me know that I had to ease myself. I started comforting myself that it is alright to not make up, it is alright to not look too good, it is just a cultural experience. I got better when I reached the official dinner place, because I borrowed a delegate’s room to do some final touch up. Haha.

That’s all for some of the plentiful conference experience I have had from my very first chairing experience of AIESEC Cameroon NLDS. Seen a lot, learnt a lot, and, adapted more into the community through making a lot of friends.

email from Wan Xin in Cameroon!

this is an excerpt from wan xin's email. she just finished chairing the NLDS for AIESEC in Cameroon, and is about to embark on her Management Traineeship soon.

"I just arrived in my city after chairing the conference. The NLDS was great, and I have had a very rewarding chairing experience here, being able to inspire many to pursue their dreams in life, and being inspired by the delegates' HUGE vision! The delegates are mature and aspiring. We had power cut during the opening plenary, food cut due to OC budget constraint (there was one day we had no lunch!), and lots of delay as Cameroonians are not really time conscious. Nonetheless, the delegates continue to wait, to dream big, to keep thinking what they can do, and what is their future.

I am amazed by the high quality life they are having now, despite the almost incomparable material life here. The roads are not tarred, power cut happens all the time, water is yellow, no fan in the room, no shower head for bathing, 4 person on the same bed, no internet and no computer. Yet the members are so driven. There was one night during their national planning where it was raining so heavily and loudly and the power was cut for hours. The members simply continued in the dark with the help of one lamp, all the way till 11pm.

If it fits into the national plan, I would really wish to have a Singapore-Cameroon bridge programme, to equalize the material inequality. For example, if we can collect second hand laptops or computers in Singapore and send them here. The LCs have no computer at all, and it's really affecting their effectiveness. And the members are striving very hard and difficultly to attend conferences because they have no money. If there are members interested in this and if it fits our year plan, I guess having such projects will really let everyone visualise the positive impact we have in society.

Love from Cameroon,
Wan Xin"

a brand new high - from cheryl

the 1st posting by rach was a lovely one! :)

honestly, this national planning is the best one i've ever attended. why?

i have...

a wonderful team.
i feel i'm surrounded by people who are on the same page as me, and we are running towards the same dream in AIESEC Singapore. thank you for giving me the chance to work with you :) i'm excited for the term to come!

a sense of unity.
ambition is not mine alone. every single person needs to believe in the value of the organization.. and during nat planning, i feel people do believe and that they want to work together to achieve. :) that makes me extremely proud to belong to AIESEC Singapore. i feel like shouting it out to the world.

personally learnt from each and every one of you...
i'm still new to this role, and i hope you are patient with me. i'm learning every single second, minute, hour.

i spent some time reflecting on my past 4 months since i've been elected. i really didn't have time to stop and think. i realized that while i was walking down this road, there were so many decisions to be made, they seemed like they were coming one after another. to me, i made the best decisions i could make at every single point in time.

if you knew me a couple of years back and compared me to where i am right now, you would know i've changed a lot as a person. i always found it hard to say 'no' to others, you would hardly ever hear me speak in a huge group. i figured it was always easier to keep my opinions to myself, so i would not offend anyone, or get into anyone's bad books. i wanted people to have a positive opinion of me, so i always agreed to people's requests when they needed help (or when they wanted to shirk responsibility). or the time when i was ostracized in sec sch, i kept quiet and let the misunderstandings around me go on - that was a miserable period of 4 years in sch i endured. back then, things were just so simple, my life was a small bubble, limited to me, myself and I. decisions i made were felt by my immediate family, maybe my close friends as well and not really anyone else.

coming into AIESEC, it gave me the depth to learn more about myself. it taught me that i could fail miserably, and it is crazy for me to take on every single responsibility as my own. i alone cannot fix any thing. in the end i only wear myself out.

in my following years as as MC VP and NST, i had many opportunities to learn about myself as a team player, and to grow professionally, to challenge myself further (trying for virtual teams).. i had many firsts - first NST together with William in 07/08. first @singapore rep on an AI virtual team. first MC VP Comms. first MCP from smu.

it's the last experience that i've found myself thinking so much more - and if you ever have the opportunity to go to IC, you will hear the MCPs/LCPs chant "it's great to be an LCP/MCP". it's an intense journey where you think so much more than usual, in terms of people and management.

over these past few months, i've made tough decisions which people might not concur with. these choices were extremely disconcerting, but they made me learn. from a cheryl who wanted to please as many people as possible, i had to face the idea that i could not please everyone with any decision i make. i knew some would be happy, others would be unhappy.

at the end of the day, i can't satisfy every single person... i only have to place the strongest faith in my decision, that they were made with the best intentions for the whole group of over 200 people. it is not only cheryl making the final decisions for herself, but that she is responsible for the entire organization in singapore.

i've always had this notion that to change the people around you, you have to first start from yourself. and this is where AIESEC for me, begins. :)

AIESEC Singapore National Planning - Pre meet

Today was the prelude to AIESEC Singapore's National Planning, held at the Singapore Management University (SMU) School of Business. This event that brings together the incoming national and local teams of AIESC Singapore to set priorities and draw up our year plans for the new term, which for this year will be held over three days and two nights.

The day started off on a light note, with Esviyola, (our resident Indon tai-tai a.k.a outgoing Vice President Finance) getting everyone together for a morning briefing with expectations setting, as well as ice-breaker games. After clear expectations of the incoming Local Chapter Executive Boards (LC EBs) were set, getting to know each other and ice-breaker games followed suit.

Ice-Breaker games

First off was a game coined by Esvi, called "Catch the Marker". Essentially, it was as simple as to...catch the marker! 

# Rules:

• Everyone is to gather round in a circle after which a round of introductions are done
• After introducing markers into the circle, the holder of the marker is to throw it to someone across the circle, after calling his/her name
• Thrower MUST call out the correct name before throwing the marker, or a forfeit is rendered.
• Receiver MUST catch the marker and not let it fall to the ground, or a forfeit is rendered.

This was a pretty simple game, or so it seems, as Esvi always has something up her sleeves to turn things interesting. Look out for the videos to know what this means!

After catching the marker for sometime, another game was introduced, called "Superheroes"! This is one of AIESECer's favourite games of all time, with our incoming Member Committee (MC) Vice President of Exchange, Han Ling even suggesting to take it to the International Congress in August later this year. Check out the video to understand how its played. Basically it consists of four different actions, none of which should be called out at the same time when played.

Call from Nairobi

Following the games and a short briefing by outgoing MC President Mayas, we were fortunate enough to get on a skype call with our lovely outgoing LC President cum incoming MC VP Talent Management, Wan Xin, who flew off to Cameroon for her internship the evening before. She had landed in Nairobi, Kenya, and was awaiting her next flight to Douala, Cameroon, whcih was around 12 hours later. 

Through the wonderous means of Skype, we were able to hear her speak for awhile, as well as talk to her about her journey so far. Traveling across the world to an entirely new region certainly was something to be excited and anxious about, and more so doing that alone, and having planned to spend three whole months speaking a third language (Française), adapting to the living habits and lifestyle and working in a foreign environment certainly is challenging. Well, who knows what similarities we might find amidst the vast perceived differences in culture and environment, and we will have to await the lady herself to update us about it =D

No. 1 in Asia Pacific!

Next up, after lunch (and much chatting with Wan Xin), the MC and EB teams parted our ways to different training tracks which would last the rest of the afternoon. The MC team was fortunate to have with us our Asia Pacific Director from AIESEC International, Li Zhen, to conduct a session for us. It was a truly eye-opening session that put our minds into perspective, laid out our realities and changed the way we examined our organizational challenges and the magnitude of growth we believed we could achieve for the term.

The session was a simple want, with Li Zhen asking us only four series of questions:

1. Should AIESEC Singapore aim to be the Number one country in Asia Pacific?
2. Is it possible for AIESEC Singapore to be the Number one country in Asia Pacific?
3. Do we have the right attitude in place to be the Number one country in Asia Pacific? and
4. How can we be the Number one country in Asia Pacific?

After much analysis of what our current state is, what AIESEC as an organization stands for and wants to achieve, whether we are delivering on our promises and a round of competitive analysis and strategy formulation, our conclusion was, 

YES, AIESEC Singapore SHOULD aim to be the Number one country in Asia Pacific, because we HAVE the potential for growth, and as long as we HAVE the right attitude and mindset, adopt a STRATEGIC and FOCUSED long term plan to exponential growth and sustainability, it is not an IMPOSSIBLE target.

After a gruelling six hours of thinking and enlightenment, the MCs left the session feeling much more confident and perhaps psyched-up about the coming year, as well as the next crucial three days of intensive planning and strategizing. Well kudos to have our dear incoming MC President Cheryl make the first few bold changes to the whole structure of AIESEC Singapore and setting the stage right for real change to happen. If anything, i'm more than looking forward to see our output from this National Planning, and starting this promising 09/10 term!

Cheers all to hard work and results!