Maiden Voyage

So here we go! My first post on the official blog of the My Paper Executive: Corporate Square-Off 2013 competition. I can’t wait to get started……. Let me first give a brief background on what has gone down so far, and how I had gotten this far.

It started innocuously enough. Sometime last year, an ex-colleague of mine was casually suggesting that I should join such a competition if there was one; she said I would stand quite a good chance. I did store that in the back of my mind, so sometime early this year, when I happened to chance upon the pretty big advertisement in the Straits Times, I thought to myself…. hmm… why not? So I proceeded to apply online. The online process was simple enough, and we had to attach 2 photos (1 full-length and 1 close-up face) as part of the application.

A few days later, a pleasant girl called to say that I had been chosen for the audition on 23 Feb 13 (can still remember the date, somehow). I was thinking to myself…. OK, here goes, things are getting serious out here….. I remember preparing myself super-early for the audition… switching my room air-conditioning on super-early so I won’t get drenched with sweat before I go out. I got ready my shirt, pants, tie, jacket, the whole works and told myself, “Here Goes Nothing……”

I had a quick lunch and went super-early for the audition at SPH News Centre at Toa Payoh; so early in fact, that I got there at 12:30pm when I had been scheduled for the 1:30pm slot! As the system was planned on first-come-first-serve basis, I was actually shifted to the 12:30pm slot, which suited me fine. When I stepped into the audition room, it was like ‘Nerves Unlimited’. There was freakin’ tension in the air, like everyone was ready to go to war or something. All made-up boys and girls, ready to do battle.

When we entered the inner audition hall, things got worse. We were briefed by the organisers that each person would have 90 seconds to present yourself, in any shape or form, to the three judges on stage. What made everything more nerve-wrecking was that while presenting yourself, you would be in full view of all the other contestants sitting at the back of the hall! You could present anything you want, no-holds-barred. I was like…. TENSION!!! What the hell am I supposed to say?!?! Fortunately, I was one of the ones at the back so I had some time to piece my thoughts together. When it came to my turn, I decided to go for broke and focused on 3 things I wanted the judges to know…. my participation at the 2008 International Association of Traffic & Safety Sciences (IATSS) Forum held in Japan, when I was 1 of 2 candidates selected from the whole of the local civil service to represent Singapore; my unbridled passion for Everton Football Club; and my great passion for singing, of which I belted one of my favourite songs ‘Within You’ll Remain’ by Tokyo Square.

I had seriously no idea how things would turn out. But just a few days later, I got another pleasant call from a pleasant girl saying that I had made it to the Grand Finals! My world was made up! I was on Cloud Nine! In heaven! Perhaps the happiest day of my life!

And so here we are, into the preparation proper for the Grand Finals. Perhaps one of the biggest things about this competition is that I had the chance to get to know 15 other finalists; all of us about the same age, the same wavelength, the same inclinations. What could be better? It is wonderful, to say the least. So here is my frank description of my 15 newly-found friends…..

Gan Shiying – My partner for the competition! When I first saw her at the inaugural workshop, I thought to myself, “Wow, this girl is tall and pretty… impressive stuff” (dun get air-headed hor). She is actually a government civil servant (like me) – an Assistant Director at the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources. My first impression is that she does not look like your typical civil servant – more of the happening, commercial kind. She is a very nice, friendly and down-to-earth person and I am seriously glad to be her partner for this competition. She also seems to be the intellectual kind.

Syed Abdul Rahman Alsagoff – I have a thing for remembering names and I think Syed got quite a kick that I always remembered his full name, even right from the start. Syed is a funny guy that can make all of us laugh. He has a unique talent for playing out different roles (haha) when you most need them and for making destardly ‘horse-faces’ as well. You know, the kind of guy who can create or make a funny face on the spur of the moment to leave everyone in stitches. A unique talent, indeed. He is also known as “Mr. Gorgeous Eyes” (for obvious reasons that stare you in the eye) and latest ‘Rumour Has It’ is that he has already sewn up the competition and has left all of us trailing in the dust. The good thing about him though is he has generously agreed to split the winnings of S$18k (S$10k + S$5k + S$3k) amongst all 16 of us. Well done, mate.

Rebecca Sit – Affectionately known to all of us as “Becky”, Rebecca is a really sweet young thing who strikes me as a dead ringer for Marie Fredriksson (the young version) of my favourite group Roxette. So much so that at the first indoor photoshoot session, I was secretly stealing glances at her (hope she didn’t notice) as her bombastic, gravity-defying hairstyle made her look even more like a young Marie! In actual fact, the first time I saw her, I was thinking “who is this young-looking, punk-looking girl with the blond, outlandish, long-fringed hairstyle?” But seriously, she is a very nice, friendly girl who can strike up a conversation and rapport with anybody. I also couldn’t help but notice that at our recent Lenovo workshop at Lorong Chuan, she actually bothered to clear all the left-over cups at our table at the end of the workshop. Classy indeed. Yes, Becky, I notice everythying….. all the time……..

Mark Ng – I’ve got a soft sport for Magic Mark, as lo and behold, we sat next to each other at the audition! He was the one who took the initiative to start talking to me and it was about my famed chilli red pointed shoes! In an atmosphere of unparalleled tension and nervousness, trust me, you remember these things. Right from the get-go, I felt very comfortable with him and we struck up a chat naturally. Even then, I noticed and liked his sincerity and easy-going nature. The reason he is called Magic Mark is after the recent hit movie ‘Magic Mike’; as I believe he is the Singaporean version of Channing Tatum. A really nice and cool guy. He even bought every one of the 15 of us souvenirs all the way from Gold Coast, Australia. I have my black rugby ball sitting proudly on the display shelf in my office, with my other certificates, awards and stuff. He also plays the guitar, which is excellent! I am thinking of forming a band with a few of my talented fellow finalists, kind of tossin’ with the band name ‘Night Steals The Day’, but that’s a discussion for another day…..

Michelle Lim – A nice and pleasant girl. She seems to be quite the reserved kind (or so I think, anyway). She strikes me as a thoughtful girl, who is more serious and deep-thinking. I liked her vibrant look and blue dress at the official launch of the finalists’ photo-shoot in My Paper. Dunno why, but she seems the kind that could make a really good friend and have a really deep, thought-fulfilling conversation with.

Ho Yinmei – What can I say about Yinmei? I really like it that she’s all bubbly and dancing eyes. She is certainly a joy to have around; always smiling and ready for a good quote or two. Talking about quotes, she is also the one who provides everyone with a thought-provoking, profound quote to brighten up our weekdays, in two or sometimes five languages! She strikes me as a very natural person and a great person to have a conversation with.

Ronald Chan – One of two Filipinos in the final 16. The man with the killer smile. I was thinking that when this guy flashes his megawatt, Joker-like smile on 3 May 13, it’s over babe. We might as well call off the whole competition and award the prizes right there. Hahaha. But Ronald’s a genuinely nice, sincere kind of guy who always has a trick or two up his sleeve. He also has an affinity for Jollybee fried chicken at Lucky Plaza and a rather strange penchant for underwater hockey?!?!

Lemna Parvini Sani – Another with a super-longish kind of name that I love to indulge in. For Lemna’s sake, and just to put it on record, I actually stayed up for three days and three nights to learn her favourite song ‘Paranoid’ by Black Sabbath!! That song was released in 1970, for Christ’s sake! Progressive Rock indeed! When Ozzy Osbourne looked handsome (and human)! That’s how far back it was! But seriously, I enjoy learning new songs (always have) and and this was, shall I say, a unique song to learn (with strong electric guitar riffs and all that). I then reaped what I sowed by singing that full song to her prior to our Lenovo workshop (had printed out the lyrics as well), with Becky acting as the kind video-grapher for posterity’s sake. But in all seriousness, Lemna’s a really mature, pleasant girl with nice eyes. Also, because of her, I got to see Evanescence’s ‘Going Under’ video on YouTube as part of my exploration process, and what a fantastic, knock-out video it is…… one of my favourites (also a discussion for another day……)

Nabil Mattar – Another joker in the pack. When I first saw Nabil, I thought this guy looks the creative, artistic designer type (complete with goatee and all). Over the weeks, however, I have realised this guy is more bullshit than creativity, and more uncouth than artistic…… (haha, just joking Nabs, there’s nothing bullshit or uncouth about you at all). Seriously, this guy is a fun-loving, nice guy. He has a kind of patented, laid-back charm about him. He is also great fun to have at parties and drinking sessions, as with him around, a joke’s always around the corner. He’s also the ‘dangerous’ kind, as when he’s joking, he’s actually serious; and when he’s serious, he’s actually joking………. (See, I told you I know it all man………)

Deryne Sim – An interesting lady indeed. When I first saw her, I thought “Wah, this rock chick has attitude… the ‘don’t mess with me’ type with short hair”. But as I got to know her, she couldn’t have turned out more opposite. She is really nice, sweet and charming in her own way. Just goes to show that first impressions can be deceiving. At the indoor photoshoot, when she had the other ‘seriously gravity-defying’ hairstyle to knock us off our feet, I thought she really looked like Rihanna, which is a huge compliment I must say…… But my ultimate role for her is still ‘Nikita’, as I think she can have that deadly, silent killer-assassin look; plus the ‘Maggie Q’ charm to boot. I will also always remember one of her opening introduction lines at the first workshop “I am not a good singer and I will NOT give you a song….” Hahaha.

Aaron Tan – Good guy, Aaron. A nice, friendly and unassuming guy. At 25, he is married with two kids, and a third one on the way! Well done mate! He is also a knowledgeable guy in many areas, such as PR consulting, media industry and cars. I understand he likes a good drink now and then and has a huge bottle of liquor waiting for us at his place (we’ll get there). Also plays the rhythm guitar as well, has a keen eye for a good photo on the streets, and has a penchant for a snap-shot, adhoc and funny one-liner in his arsenal. A really nice and fun guy to have around. Even better at the drinks table.

Alvin Yeo – The Life of the Party. I did mention to him recently that every group needs someone like him; the person who sets the party alight with his spontaneity, unabashed humour and rip-roaring sense of fun. You either have it or you don’t; you just can’t fake this type of things. And he has it. He simply gets things going and makes everyone laugh along the way. When I first saw him, I was almost immediately struck by his talkativeness (in a good sense) and his extrovert nature. But you can also sense that deep down, he is a very nice, warm and genuine guy who can be a really good friend. He also enjoys a good football game with Mark. He has also been assigned the role of “The Lovely Man” – which should suit him to a Tee……….. In fact, the only problem with him is that he’s a Liverpool fan (I’m an Everton fan)……… haha, jus joking bro, You’ll Never Walk Alone……

Geraldine Goh – Another tall, pretty and slim contestant. In fact when she wore her super high-heels and a white outfit at the Lenovo workshop, she looked like a giant; somehow reminding me of a local Xena: The Warrior Princess (jus joking, Geri). She strikes me as the fun-loving, adventurous kind and maybe the quite ‘excitable’ type. I like how she is always peppering her WhatsApp exchanges with high-pitched, full-blooded laughs and screams… full of energy.

Ye Yingyi – Yet another super-leggy, slim and pretty contestant. I remember seeing her when we were waiting outside the seminar room door at our first workshop and thinking to myself, “Who in the world is this? Tall and slim like a model!” She’s also another one who doesn’t look like the typical government civil servant type – and seems to have quite a flair for the flamboyant and shocking. But talking to her, she is really a nice, humble and friendly person. Easy to talk to, I would say. I also like her pose and look at the initial launch of our finalists’ photo-shoot in My Paper – I thought it suited her extremely well.

Richard Que – Richard is the other Filipino in the group. A really nice and pleasant guy. We sat next to each other at the very first workshop and I was immediately impressed with his friendly, easy-going nature. We will also all remember his historic, milestone-conquering ‘Rolling In The Deep’ rendition at Five @ Cuppage Plaza at our first drinks gathering together (which was after our Skincare Workshop at The Make-Up Store @ Paragon). He was really sporting that night and contributed to the great fun we had that night. That was when we really rocked the house down and more or less took over the stage. Richard also displays a keen, thoughtful and insightful nature at our various workshops. As of this release, he still owes us a rendition of Wham!’s ‘Careless Whisper’….. Hehehe

OK, I hope you all have gotten to know the 16 finalists a bit better after this. This is just the beginning, there’s lots more to roll…..

In the meantime, take care & stay cool……….