Ewe Juan Levels Up!

Beginning tomorrow our hero Ewe Juan levels up and is given a new rank... 'working adult'. Wish me luck on my first day at work. Strictly speaking it's my 4th first day, considering I've done 3 internships. But then again it is still a first day, and it is only polite to wish someone good luck on his first day.

Like this: Good luck Ewe Juan! Enjoy your first day!

I may be a 'working adult', but if you're hoping that's going to change my writing style here to be more mature, you are sorely mistaken. I may grow old and lose hair, but my writing style possesses everlasting youth (and has no hair to lose, in case you did not notice).

And so let the Brand New Adventure Begin!

Competence & Confidence

Should we focus on being confident enough to achieve success, or being competent enough to achieve success?

According to an interesting article I read lately, to achieve greatness, we should focus on developing competence to drive confidence, not just blindly building confidence (most self-help books and motivation programs today are guilty of this).

I attach here a link to a Financial Times article for those who are interested to read the full thing. It's a good read and some food for thought. I rarely talk about anything serious on my blog because I believe in being serious only when studying/working/avoiding getting into deep trouble. Other than that being serious be screwed. There's a reason this blog is called an asylum.

But asylum or not, once in awhile I guess I'm doing everyone a service by sharing something good.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/c7d527a6-2ce2-11e3-a0ac-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=intl#axzz2iVYnt7wD

The article also takes a swipe at KPMG for using 'core competencies' to assess its potential employees. This approach focuses too much on vague ideas like 'delivering quality'. Not really something measurable or explicitly related to competency, the article argues. This being the case, people nowadays are trying to appear confident, but do not care so much about being competent, because apparently, confidence is enough for you to ace that job interview. Perhaps true to some extent. I'm sure this 'core competencies' thing extends beyond KPMG to many other companies. I've seen a fair share of 'core competencies' or similar things myself.

You do not have to agree with the article 100%. I certainly don't. But let it serve as a reminder that it's important to get a firm grasp of the technical aspects of our lines of work. Spend time mastering your trade, not blowing your trumpet and ESPECIALLY, not backstabbing to get to the top. There is no honour in success built on a trail of casualties.

Kamikaze Exam

Tomorrow I shall be taking my first ever CPA exam. Exams have the tendency to make me feel dumb. And at present I am feeling really, really dumb. I hope what people say about luck favouring the fools is true!

Hopefully it wasn't a bad idea taking two subjects. I have decided to never ever repeat another kamikaze act like this. And besides, once I start working, I will probably only have a 0.45% chance to pass both subjects if I take another two at once.

I will blog more after I'm done with my exams (and before I start work). Right now I have to prove I'm not dumb enough to fail my papers. Add oil. Add salt. Add sugar. Add hypertension.

More Exams

My CPA exams are around the corner and I am starting to really FEEL the load and pressure of studying professional papers. To those who successfully got through their CPA exams and earned the title, I FREAKING SALUTE YOU. Especially if you're the type that works full time and still manages to pass with decent grades.

What do you guys take daily to be this brilliant? Brands Essence of Chicken?

By the way I don't take that stuff. I do not dispute the benefits of taking essence of chicken, but in my opinion that Brands thing tastes like worn-out rubber slippers. Don't fancy taking that daily.

And by the way, no I have never tasted rubber slippers. I just imagined it would taste something like Brands. I tried Brands once. A long time ago. As you might have guessed, I did not like it.

And by the way again, I got myself employed. Yup miracles do happen. I'm being very calm about it. Not too thrilled.

BWAHAHAHA I GOT EMPLOYEDDDD I GOT A FREAKING JOB I WONT DIE OF HUNGER I DID NOT STUDY IN VAIN I CAN EARN $$$ I WONT CONTRIBUTE TO THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE MY LIFE HAS MEANINGGGGGGGGG OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSHHHHHHHHHH

Yes. Steady as ever. Cool as ice. Time to study.

Graduation!

This post is badly overdue. Why? Cuz once I came back from Perth, there were some favourable results from the job search process. I am still unemployed, but I aim to be employed pretty soon. There was a hold up because I had an interview scheduled and stuff. So yeah, this post is late. So be it.

Not all the following photos will not be accompanied by the usual descriptions because there really is not much to say. Our smiles speak for themselves. It's great to have family and friends celebrate such a memorable event with me. The journey would never have been possible without them.

Thank you Papa and Mummy!

My comrade.

  

Zhong Yang. Eyes shut.

Me. Eyes shut.

Looks like I have my eyes shut again. Cameraman needs better timing.

 

Friend, you were supposed to exit the stage BEHIND the curtain. Heh heh.

Balloons!!!

Eh, damn I'm short...

Thank you Flat 28 for the souvenirs! Wish I could frame the thing.

Glad to say that I finally got my award certificate. But more importantly, I also got myself friends, experiences and memories that money can't buy. That certificate may be crucial for my first job, but friendships last a lifetime. 16 years to achieve this, and I can proudly say the journey was not in vain!

Hello Perth

I'm typing from the hotel in Perth. Going to get some rest before the big day tomorrow but decided to post a photo. Today we were all in campus to collect our regalias and pose for some pics. So here's one for the record.

Mortarboards in the air people! Mine flew a bit too high so it's not in the picture. Whoopsies. More updates due after I'm done with the ceremony proper. Cheers.