Aminurashid Juma’at | karmawidjaya@gmail.com
theridge news
A NUSSU Publication

Sept. 1, 2009
Internships provide excellent opportunities for undergraduates to take a peek into the chosen field of careers. Granted that we may have some vague ideas about what we want to do for a job, we can never be certain about the direction we may take on that long trodden path of a life long career. Our anxieties about what awaits after graduation compels us to explore the possibilities our degrees could afford us.

Of course, more than just making productive use of time and gaining valuable experiences relevant to the working world, interns more often than not, have interesting experiences to tell. Three senior students share their experiences with theridge about their internship stints.

Tan Si Pei
Communications & New Media
Year 4
Did her internship at: Blugrapes Pte Ltd

Hairol Salim
Business Administration
Year 4
Did his internship at: Acceval Consultancy

Jonathan Lim
Communications & New Media
Graduate
Did his internship at: Saatchi & Saatchi

1) Why did you choose to do an internship?

Sipei: To complement the theories learnt in school, gain some practical experience and understand the dynamics at a real-life workplace

Hairol: I’d like to gain deeper insights into the marketing industry. I did hope that I could secure a permanent position with the company if I find myself liking the job scope.

Jon: I saw the CVs of my classmate’s and realised that mine was quite bare. So it was good to find an internship in a reputable company to make my CV look more substantial.

2) What were your first impressions when you were at your internship workplace?

Sipei: Most of the internships I did were at local startups. It turned out well however as I was able to shoulder on bigger responsibilities and discuss company issues with my bosses directly.

Hairol: Not what I initially expected. It was small, serious and cold, unlike my impression of a marketing firm that’s lively, noisy and busy.

Jon: The people were very friendly, willing to teach you whenever you asked for help. My interviews always went well and my working colleagues were very friendly. I did not really know how to behave around them actually, because I’m not as ‘warm’ as them so I didn’t want to come across as pretentious.

3) What were your job scopes?

Sipei: Media tracking, writing and disseminating press releases, compiling media lists, doing presentation slides and pitching to clients, managing online marketing campaigns (e.g. on Facebook), conducting SEO (search engine optimization)

Hairol: I was helping out with one of their in-house consultancy software. My duties were to do testing for the software’s marketing modules, prepare training guides for those modules and conducting pricing analysis using those modules.

Jon: At Saatchi & Saatchi, I was fortunate to have met a very good director who let me work in many different functions within the agency. I got to do primary research with the strategy planners and conducted focus groups with clients. I even got to organize and carry out an event for one client that helped broaden my network of contacts.

4) Did your employer have any expectations of you?

Sipei: Yes. I had to be an independent worker, a problem-solver and take initiatives.

Hairol: They were indeed very impressed with my working attitude. And I’m proud to say that they actually called me again recently to offer me a permanent full-time job.

Jon: They expected me to try things out and make mistakes. I was very lucky because all my superiors were very patient in explaining why things work in a certain way and they always answered my questions. They did expect all interns to be involved and to express their thoughts.

5) What did you learn from the internship?

Sipei: That being a solution-provider and helping your bosses and colleagues resolve problems (rather than a problem-giver) is very important. That will require lots of imitative on oneself to be resourceful enough to find the solutions. Interpersonal relationships are also very important to maintain good information flow between bosses and colleagues.

Hairol: Apart from skills and knowledge, communication skills with colleagues and clients and the attitude and behavior when working with people are some of the experiences I picked up from this internship.

Jon: Always deal with things with a smile. Best way to survive. Seriously

6) Do you have any advice for future student interns?

Sipei; You will actually have a better idea on where to go in terms of your career path(s) after your internship and know lots of interesting people so go for it!

Hairol: Always be positive and start the internship with an open-mind. Go lunch with your other colleagues. Participate in their conversations. Never shy yourself away from them. That way, you’ll learn a lot about the company and your jobscopes, you’ll be able to get help easily from your company whenever needed, and you might even be able to sniff other opportunities from these small talks!

Jon: Bosses are human too, don’t be afraid to approach time. Most of the time they are very interesting people waiting to be discovered.

At the time of print Jonathan is awaiting to start work at the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts. Sipei is doing her Honours year studies and like Hairol, is keeping her options open.

Hurrairah bin Sohail | hurrairah@gmail.com
the ridge transmedia
A NUSSU Publication

Photo: http://events.liveguide.com.au/

With MOSAIC 2009 almost around the corner, the ridge gets the opportunity to talk with
Mélanie Pain and ask her a few questions about her music and art.

Q1. How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?

My music is somewhere in between pop, folk, Americana and chanson Française. I love pop for its simplicity and the good feeling you get from singing a sweet melody. I love folk for the story telling and the empathetic lyrics, and Americana in particular for the guitar, desert and dry sounds. Of course, I have to sing in French because it’s my culture and I feel part of the French scene. I guess I’m trying to do intimate and mellow songs that mix a bit of all these influences- while keeping it as natural and spontaneous as possible.

Q2. Describe your song writing process. Do the lyrics or the music come first?

There is no actual recipe. I like to work with people: composers, songwriters, other singers, and friends. I can’t imagine working alone in my bedroom on the music, lyrics and arrangements. I’m too lazy and not gifted enough to do that. So what I usually do is work with a composer on the music and vocals and try to write the lyrics myself. If it’s not good enough, I work with a songwriter. On my album I worked a lot with Villeneuve for the music and 2 or 3 writers for the lyrics. I love artistic collaborations. I can’t cope doing music by myself- for now that is.

Q3. Is the process of writing songs in French different from writing in English? Do you find it harder to write songs in English?

I find it harder to write in my native tongue actually. It’s not that easy to write lyrics that sound good in French- the words are too long, rhymes often sound stupid or too easy. For example, if you said “Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away” in French, it doesn’t sound as musical. I don’t understand why French always makes easy emotions or concepts sound complicated.

Q4. Do you believe that a particular language is suited for a certain type of music or to express a specific feeling?

Well there is English for pop and Spanish for salsa. Personally, I think anything is possible and people write in their native language when they want to express their feelings. I think sometimes writing in English is easier but somehow makes it less personal.

Q5. Seeing that the name Nouvelle Vague is also a nod to the French New Wave cinema movement, if you were given the chance to provide the soundtrack for any movie (movies from the past included) which movie would it be and why?

“Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind” is the soundtrack I would have loved to do It’s so poetic, colourful, introspective and emotional. Michel Gondry is a genius. The Beck cover of “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometimes” at the end is brilliant!

Q6.For Nouvelle Vague, you covered new wave classics that you had never heard before. Were you ever afraid that your interpretation might anger hardcore die-hard fans?

Yes, the first time that we played at the I.C.A in London, I was really scared that the audience would throw their beer at us. I knew that bands like Joy Division and so on were legends. But everything went fine because Nouvelle Vague is meant to be an homage and people appreciate that.

Q7. Did you listen to the original songs after covering them to see how your version matched up?

Yes, I listened to all of them. Some were not easy to find- i.e., “In A Manner of Speaking” by Tuxedomoon for example was a hard one to catch. I’m now a fan of new wave music- I have lots of new wave songs on my “party” play list.

Q8. How was your recording experience for your solo album? Was it very different from recording with Nouvelle Vague?

It’s very different, Nouvelle Vague is more conceptual. You come to the studio and Marc Collin, the producer, gives you an hour to record one song. He wants to keep it spontaneous because that’s what Nouvelle Vague is all about. Whereas for my solo work, I have to put a lot more thought and care into it. I do about eight hours of vocal recording and an equal amount of time listening. However, I do try to keep what Nouvelle Vague taught me and tried not to be too much of a perfectionist. You can lose the magic element very quickly.

Q9. Who are your greatest musical influences?

I have a 1000 of them. I’m really into singers such as Ray LaMontagne, Bonnie Prince Billy, Nick Cave, Thomas Dybdahl. My greatest musical influences, however, are the musicians I listened to when I was 16:- The Pixies, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, PJ Harvey.

Q10. What are your future plans?

I have some great songs on the next Nouvelle Vague album and I’m very excited to do them live. The main plan, though, is to release my album in Europe, Asia and Australia and tour with my solo project as much as possible.

Catch Mélanie Pain’s performance on the 21st of March 2009 at the Mosaic Studio.
For further information please visit the official Mosaic 2009 website at http://www.mosaicmusicfestival.com

A response to Nipping Cervical Cancer in the Bud

Dr Jeffrey Low, senior consultant in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology in the National University of Singapore sheds some light on cervical cancer, the fifth most common type of cancer among women in Singapore.

The Ridge (TR): What is cervical cancer caused by?
Dr. Low (DL): Cervical cancer is most commonly caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18. Infections by HPV types 16 and 18 cause approximately 70% of all cervical cancer cases

TR: What is Human Papillomavirus (HPV), then?
DL: HPV is very common worldwide among sexually active people. It commonly manifests itself in the form of skin infections. HPV is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, and can also be passed on during skin-to-skin contact between persons.

There have been over 100 types of HPV identified to date. Out of these 100, 30 to 40 of them affect the genital area or anal canal, and between 15 to 20 of these HPV types are oncogenic (cancer forming).

TR: Does getting infected by HPV types 16 and 18 necessarily lead to cervical cancer?
DL: No. In most cases, the natural immune systems of healthy young women get rid of the virus immediately without any additional help. However, certain co-factors work in tandem with the HPV virus to increase chances of cervical cancer developing.

TR: What are these co-factors?
DL: Co-factors that increase a woman’s chances of getting cervical cancer after getting infected by HPV include lifestyle habits such as smoking, sexual factors like beginning to have sexual intercourse at an early age and having multiple sexual partners, medical factors such as being HIV positive, being immunity-impaired and having a history of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), and other external factors such as having sexual partners who have multiple sexual partners themselves.

TR: Can HPV infections be cured?
DL: Currently, there is no medicine that treats for HPV. HPV infections are generally overcome by the body’s own immune system. There is, however, a newly developed vaccine that inoculates against four major types of HPV viruses. This vaccine, Gardasil, inoculates against HPV types 16 and 18 (the cervical cancer causing ones), and types 6 and 11 (the types that cause 90% of genital warts infections).

TR: What can I do to minimize my chances of getting cervical cancer?
DL: Regular Pap smears are strongly encouraged for sexually active women between the ages of 25 to 70. National guidelines recommend that women go for a Pap smear every three years. Pap smears are simple tests that detect early changes in the cervix, and would help identify the onset of cervical cancer in its early stages.

TR: Does every woman have to go for a Pap smear test?
DL: All women who have engaged in sexual activity before are advised to go for their regular Pap smear tests. Even women who were once sexually active in the past but are no longer sexually active now are encouraged to go for a Pap smear test once every three years. This is because the fact that she was once sexually active would mean that there is a fairly high chance that she has had an HPV infection before, as most HPV viruses remain unobtrusively latent in the body for a long time before manifesting themselves in the form of warts or cervical cancer.

Arzish Baaquie | arzish@gmail.com
the ridge Lifestyle
Aaron Su
Radiopulze DJ

Photo credit: Arpan Roy

Born in a country town in Western Australia as a child of mixed heritage (Thai/ Australian), Natasha has enjoyed the best of what both countries and cultures has to offer in her upbringing, and while completely respectful and appreciative of her Thai and Eastern values, she is undoubtedly more Western in her ways and mannerisms and this makes for an energetic and vibrant character with a unique charisma and soft charms melded into her personality.

Natasha and her childhood friend successfully entered the casting call for The Amazing Race Asia, Season 2. An adventure and experience of a lifetime, which saw their strengths and weakness tried and tested, the show was filmed in July 2007 and is currently airing across the Asia and central Europe. This is the highest rating show in the region, with over 75 million viewers weekly.

After emcee-ing in Australia and Bangkok, Natasha recently relocated to Singapore to pursue opportunities for her to realise her dream career. She has appeared in various media for The Amazing Race Asia and is currently featured in both the Singapore and Philippines editions of Maxim magazine, as well as endorsed by the Singha Corporation, in a regional TVC and print advertisements. Most recently, Natasha has taken on the exciting role of Principal Host for iTalentstar, which exposes and illuminates talents in Asia.

Photo credit: Arpan Roy

Interviewer: How is Singapore currently treating you?

Natasha Monks: (Laughs) I love Singapore, Singapore’s good. It’s a good choice to come and live here, for career, and all other reasons as well. The people are great, the food’s great, everything about it. I like the weather; I can’t stand cold weather, so when I left my hometown in Perth, it was a lot colder than here, so it’s a nice change.

Interviewer: So, you decided to leave everything and come down to Singapore?

Natasha Monks: Singapore, right now, I’m liking it, so as long as I keep liking it, I’ll keep staying here. So who knows what holds the future?

Interviewer: Alright, so, is there anything you currently miss about Thailand?

Natasha Monks: I miss Thai food. And I miss my friends there, of course. And I’ve got a few family members there that I miss a lot as well. But in general, it’s just the food I miss. Thai food is pretty unique, you know. Yeah, I love the food there, and of course the culture and the shopping and the bars as well.

Interviewer: So the Singapore Thai food is not up to standard?

Natasha Monks: It’s, oh I hate to say it, but unfortunately, no. It’s the street food, when you go out and just … It’s that kind of food I miss from over-there. So, yeah, definitely.

Interviewer: You tend to be associated with adventure themes. Was there anything in your childhood that kind of brought you towards this path?

Natasha Monks: Hmmm… Well, I guess I don’t know, I grew up on a farm, my dad was a farmer, I was a farmer’s daughter. Maybe that has to do with the outdoors? Perhaps, maybe not? Just in general, I’ve always had that sense of… I grew up in a city that’s probably the most isolated city in the world, so once you get out, that’s it, it’s all over. It’s quite hard to go back again, I think, to something like that.

Interviewer: Is that one of the reasons why you actually went on a lot of backpacking trips alone?

Natasha Monks: Yeah, definitely. I mean, once it’s so expensive to get a ticket out of out of Perth, so once you get out you have to spend a lot of time away so you can actually make the most of it, so on. So you get the most value for money, definitely, I guess that way.

Interviewer: So we kind of hear that previously you were a peer consultant, right?

Natasha Monks: Ahh, I’ve worked, I’ve done a few things. I was working; we opened up a boutique at, importing in Australian fashion labels, in Bangkok. I worked in the mining industry for a little while. And now I’m working in Grand Managing events.

Interviewer: So you went from fashion to explosives?

Natasha Monks: That’s right. One extreme to the other.

Interviewer: How did that come about?

Natasha Monks: Well, I guess, the whole fashion thing was fun, and I enjoyed it. And then I thought, I needed to be more sensible when I returned to my original career path. Then as soon as I did that, I had a, I guess, a quad-life crisis. And I realized it’s not exactly what I want, where my passions lie, so, I’m taking a step into something I feel I’m more suited to.

Photo credit: Arpan Roy

Interviewer: They absolutely loved you in The Amazing Race! Do you feel the need to prove yourself?

Natasha Monks: I think everyone that goes on The Race has something to prove. No-one wants to be first out, no-one wants to be seen doing silly things, which maybe we have or have not. I guess, we had something to prove to ourselves, we’ve always watched the show and we’ve always enjoyed yelling at the TV screens, telling people to go faster, thinking we can do this better, so in terms of just jumping from the couch to actually doing it, we definitely had something to prove to ourselves, in that sense.

Interviewer: So talking about silly things right, are there any things that have been sent to the bloopers?

Natasha Monks: The producers have an image of you and they want to edit it in such a way that you keep the character. But I think we’re quite easy to stick to certain things. We had fun, we had a lot of fun. We’re quite bubbly people, we had a lot of fun along the way, so even if we did silly things, we can laugh at ourselves, so it’s not a big deal. It’s very important to be able to laugh at yourself, I think.

Interviewer: I really sort of admire the patience that you guys have. They are showing, currently, the episode in Prague, the episode where you had to wait for six hours…

Natasha Monks: I don’t know if you saw tears or me being crazy, singing songs. There goes my singing contract for the year. Definitely, but in terms of patience, I guess it definitely tries to test you. All the things on The Race definitely try your patience. And it was definitely an interesting adventure.

Interviewer: So is there any animosity between you and the previous teams that were supposed wait for you or something like that?

Natasha Monks: Well, oh no, not at all. You’re talking directly to that, so no, I mean, we’re very good friends. We’re all really close … Whatever happened in The Race, stays in The Race. And that’s how it’s been for all the teams, pretty much, so I’ve got nothing bad to say about it, anyone, anymore.

Interviewer: Alright, so maybe, you could tell us a little more about the ITALENTSTAR and what drew you into hosting such a programme.

Natasha Monks: Well Italentstar it’s just, a way for anyone, absolutely anyone, who can get involved, and you’re not alone in this world, you can get your friends to help you out, in terms of shooting your video, being your hair and makeup stylist, any of that, they can help you. So, it’s something that, if you’ve ever had the need or desire or the want to get into something like that, to get into this industry, Italentstar’s a great way to break in, so it’s available to anyone, it’s so accessible.

Interviewer: So do you think there’s going to be a platform for bigger, better things for you, and all the contestants that go on it?

Natasha Monks: I hope so, that’s the whole point isn’t it? But Italentstar is definitely a great way for people to get exposure, it’s going to get a great audience. And I just know that we’re going to find some real gems out there in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, definitely.

Interviewer: So now that you’re stepping into a line that best friend is on, will there be one day you, Paula and Natasha show on MTV or something like that?

Natasha Monks: Oh, I hope so, I’d love to work with my best friend again, it’s so much fun. But no, definitely more Paula’s field. But for me, this is just fun. As long as I keep having fun doing it, then I’m going to keep doing it, that’s my rule. Rule number one.

Interviewer: Since Italentstar is pretty closely linked with social network sites like Friendster, what is your whole opinion on the whole social network phenomenon?

Natasha Monks: I love it! I think it’s great, I’m addicted to it. I can’t get off the computer, it’s great. It’s a great way for kids to be keeping in touch especially when there’s someone like me who’s away from home so often, or I have friends that I’ve met traveling across the globe, it’s a great way to stay in touch, for people to see what you’ve been up to. It’s a great way to show your photos and just to lull about the things you’ve been up to. And yeah, Friendster in particular, it’s one of those tools that is really good.

Interviewer: So would you consider yourself kind of tech-savvy in that sense?

Natasha Monks: I hope so, I guess so. I mean, it’s quite user friendly. You don’t need to be too tech-savvy to use Friendster. It’s all very straightforward, so, even for me, I find it quite easy to use and very straightforward, definitely.

Interviewer: Right, what is the one thing that you have always wanted to do but haven’t have the chance to do so?

Natasha Monks: One thing I’ve always wanted to do? Well I kind of do everything I want to do anyway, so it’s just a matter of getting there, I think. Amazing Race, I got to do bungee jumping, that’s one of the things I’ve always wanted to do. I guess taking it to a greater height up there’s the next thing up there, so maybe hosting a talent show? That’ll be fun. Who knows what’s next, yeah?

Interviewer: So what have you found in Singapore that’s blown your mind away?

Natasha Monks: Singapore food? Singaporean Chilli Crab and also all the little side stalls, the hawker stalls etc, they’re all great as well, definitely.

Interviewer: Alright, final question, tell us a secret.

Natasha Monks: Secret huh? Ooh gosh. I like long walks along the beach under the moonlit sky.

Interviewer: That’s not going to cut it.

Natasha Monks: Oh gosh. I don’t know. When I sing and I dance during five hour intersections? That’s not very Natasha, but it still comes out! No-one ever likes to hear me sing, so that’s probably something that I’ll keep to myself.

Interviewer: Alright, that’s about it! Thank you very much for your time.

Natasha Monks: Thank you, not a problem!