Friday, November 26, 2010

Thanksgiving Break



What?

I mentioned something about a trip to Washington D.C. in my one of my blogs. So I did go there even though I was having one of the busiest weeks. Despite that, I had an exciting weekend in D.C.  Accommodation, food, transport and almost everything was provided by the Malaysian government and they were wonderful! All of us stayed at Tyson’s Corner Marriot, Virginia and were provided with Malay food! As for my Thanksgiving break this week, I didn’t go to my roommate’s place for the week. Reason: I know I would not be able to do my work (there’s so much to do!) if I enjoy myself too much – need to be in control.


Met my INTEC friends at the Malaysian Embassy


Didn't manage to visit the Washington Monument


So What?

The entrepreneurship seminar was held at the Malaysian Embassy in Washington D.C. and it went quite well. I was quite distracted though as my thoughts were on shopping and sightseeing most of the time. However, that did not happen as I wished because the seminar started on Friday evening (ice-breaking session), the whole Saturday and ends only on Sunday afternoon. But I still managed to get myself new winter boots, sneakers and a handbag, so it wasn’t so bad after all. As for this week, I stayed in my apartment, watching series after series of dramas online, which means I didn’t really do much work. There were two interesting events, the first is a lunch gathering for the Eid al-Adha celebration and a Thanksgiving “dinner” at Dr. Francis Quek’s place. I’m totally addicted to roast turkey now. It’s so good! And all the food’s good too!


Carving the turkey

Dr. Quek giving his speech

Food glorious food!

With  my new found Peruvian friend, Alexandra

View of Blacksburg from Brush Mountain



Now What?

Thanksgiving is fun! Next time around, I won’t miss the chance to celebrate Thanksgiving with Katherine’s family in Arlington. As for the Black Friday sale, I didn’t get anything - maybe next time when I have something to buy. I think I might be in Winter break mode now. I really look forward to another trip somewhere out of town and I don’t feel like doing any work. Again, the coming three weeks are going to pass really fast because they are all assignment and presentation deadlines, and final exam! Good luck to me!





Monday, November 15, 2010

Leadership: Women and Culture



What?

The issue that revolves around women and leadership is not new. Even though large parts of the world have begun to accept women leaders in a company or a country, there are still many boundaries (one of them is the glass ceiling - Draft, 2005; Yukl, 2006) to which a woman has to face to climb the organization ladder. I absolutely agree that women still have to face biasness and prejudice because of their gender, and worse – difference in culture. I have personally encountered these situations and I don’t like that feeling at all. The whole conventional thinking that men should be the breadwinner and women the homemaker is still rampant in many cultures, especially Asia where most of the world’s population comes from. In a team of people, it is sometimes inevitable that there would be potential conflict when it comes to gender and culture.



Future leaders of Malaysia from different cultural backgounds



So What?

In Malaysia, more and more women are earning higher positions in governmental and non-governmental sectors. In addition, more women are educated and they have higher and bigger goals in life – similar to many countries, Malaysia’s public universities have more female than male students. In a country with so many cultural differences, there are of course different thoughts and opinions to women becoming leaders. Thus, majority of higher leadership positions are still dominated by men. What surprises me most is the fact that women in the United States have considerably lower wages in the same position as men (Bureau of Labor Statistics). That is not fair at all! I believe that women will change and speak up for themselves in time to come. Similar for culture and leadership, international trade will improve and increase the need for cultural exchange and understanding, increasing the acceptance in cultural differences all over the world.


sodahead.com



Now What?

In a world with so many cultures and traditions, it is not easy to alter people’s perception towards women. After all these years, I think that women has made a significant change to the world – more and more women, including me, are getting proper and higher education. The good news is, women are also known to be better leaders, using more of transformational leadership. For both women and culture in leadership, acceptance and change towards the better is not impossible as long as there is tolerance and understanding.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Strengths-Based Career




What?

As a government-sponsored student, I have a few curfews after I graduate. I will be required to return and serve my country, Malaysia (an FAO country). The government will then assign me a job according to the major/field that I graduated in where I will serve for 6 years. I, of course, would not know what job will be assigned to me but I definitely wish to work in the Agricultural sector. After that, I will continue with my graduate studies. My strengths: Restorative, Adaptability, Analytical, Relator, Consistency – they affect my decisions-making process and for now, I have settled my thoughts to working as an Associate Professional Officer (APO) for the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 




ciesin.org


So What?

According to fao.org, candidates for the program include any young professional under the age of 32 with a strong commitment to food and agricultural development development issues, a university degree and practical experience with developing countries as well as a genuine interest in working with people from across the world.

Requirements for candidates include:

  1. A university degree at M.Sc. or MA level or B.Sc. or BA level with at least three years of relevant working experience.
  2. Working knowledge of two of FAO's official languages: English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian and Chinese
  3. Excellent information technology skills, including word processing, database applications, presentation software, and the Internet
  4. Minimum of one to two years of working experience in a developing country (optional)
  5. Ability to think strategically; to express ideas clearly; to work independently and in teams combines with cultural and gender sensitivity.
  6. Strong commitment to development; an interest in adapting to varied physical and professional environments; and a desire to work with people of different language, national and cultural backgrounds.
  7. Respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and FAO's Mission Statement.


fao.org


Now What?

Most of the requirements should fit my strengths well; requirements 5 and 7 with Restorative, Analytical, Relator and Consistency, and requirement 6 with Adaptibility. All the other requirements can definitely be fulfilled with my years in the university and my plans for graduate studies. However, it is easier said than done. There might not be a vacancy when I apply and I would be far away from home most of the time. Other than that, there are also many other challenges when in different countries - culture, language, diseases, environmental factors and many others. For me, no job is easy but it doesn't get more difficult if one enjoys doing it.





Unfortunate Doggie Event



What?

I feel as if I’m residing in a gigantic refrigerator. When the wind blows, I’m upgraded to the freezer, and when the temperature drops below 0, I’m officially the resident of the freezer. Let’s not make things colder around here. My busy week wasn’t too bad but I had a day of unfortunate events – on Wednesday. Early in the morning, when I was on my way to the bus stand, I crossed the wrong place at the wrong time. It was the shortcut that I take every day and this time, a big collie (I think) was doing its toilet business. It was too late to turn back; the dog saw me, looked me in the eye, started barking and refused to let me go. Unfortunately, I am not really an animal person and I tried to stay as calm as possible. Thank goodness the owner was there and he managed to get his dog under control. I’m glad I didn’t run but when I reached the bus stand, I saw the bus leaving. Fantastic! For me, it’s not a good omen especially when I have a test that day. Thankfully, I was not late for class.


 blogs.seattleweekly.com
Puppies are ok, but big ones scare me



So What?

My excitement for the football game in my previous blog stops was wasted when I got myself a severe headache on the day of the game. But I definitely made a good choice by not undergoing the wrath of a more-than-3-hours “refrigeration”. It was a very good game, with VT emerging as the winner (28-21) after a few close encounters – I watched ESPN live in the warmth of my apartment. Let’s go, Hokies! Thinking about the beginning of the weekend, I realized how crazy I was. On Sunday evening (October 31, 2010), I went to the Math Emporium to take my Math test (the score was not too bad, but not too good either) and grabbed 10 cans of Campbell’s mushroom and chicken soup from Kroger after that. They were really cheap! – 10 for USD 5! I know they can get much cheaper after Thanksgiving but since they can be stored for a long time, why not? I thought I might want to just in case I decided to hibernate during winter. Weekend is not too fun though because I don’t feel like doing anything in the cold weather.





Now What?

I’m going to Washington D.C. this weekend! How fun! I’m attending an entrepreneur seminar organized by the Malaysian Embassy and almost everything is taken care of (accommodation, food etc.). I can go sightseeing, meeting with other people, and most importantly, SHOPPING! I was told that there is a huge mall right beside the hotel I’m staying in! That is why I'm writing this blog ahead of time. I might need to rush things through this week but no worries; everything usually turns out well for me. Even though all the assignment and paper deadlines are near, I will try my best to finish everything before enjoying my trip. I hope the dog doesn't hold a grudge on me, and may all be well this week!


grosvenorfund.com
D.C., here I come!