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Classes Have Ended! - But not the end of the journey...

It is week 14 here at SMU and everyone is frantically trying to finish their reports while studying for the exams next week.

By now, almost everyone has had their last class for this semester and for me it was the Monday that just passed on the 6th of April. It was Shakespeare: From Text To Screen and i was pleased that my final presentation in SMU (fingers crossed nothing bad happens for the exams) went off pretty well and generated enthusiastic discussion.

"What, that's it?" - has my SMU journey ended and will it be my last time formally studying in an academic institution? Well i am not sure about doing Masters in the future, it depends on where life takes me but one thing is for sure - the journey has not ended. Education and learning continually takes place and it is a never ending cycle for our benefit and with that i would like to summarise some of the learning points i have picked up from one of my other courses - Digital Media Across Asia.

Key Takeaways:

1. Acquired more knowledge on Social / Digital Media tools which can be extended across disciplines. After having learnt some of the tools in this course, i now have the confidence to apply it for the BSM Scandinavia Mission; currently we have a BSM Wiki under construction and we are looking to make this an avenue to document our learning experiences but also to share the knowledge that we have gained. Guess what? - i am the administrator for the wiki too :) talk about timing the courses well!
   
2. No fear of them tools. Admittedly, at the start i was clueless of what was going on and it felt like a never-ending mountain i had to climb. This digital world is so enormous and dynamic it's almost scary to even think about sipping coffee in front of the laptop and trying to wrap your head around what's going on online. Now, i am proud to say that even though i have not mastered this realm, i still have learnt some invaluable tools such as the Google Reader, Wikis and Twitter - when if used correctly can be powerful instruments to enhance one's life.
   
3. How do we do this right? After learning about the tools and getting involved the problem now is not about being in the dark and clueless to what is going on in the digital world. The real kicker now is to figure out how do we use these tools correctly and how can we realise its potential. This could encompass many things for different people. For some it may be about how to churn out original and interesting content on a blog and how to engage a community by packaging it well. For others, such as my group who are figuring out the metrics for the measurement project; how do we actually go about these digital strategies and at the same time deliver accurate benchmarks and tools to measure our performance which will determine our relevance and budgets.
   
4. Reading in between the lines. In retrospect, after undertaking the course, i learnt that sometimes it may not always be about those funky tools that create so much hype but more about the paradigms it creates and how do we react to it with what we have learnt thus far. Our discussions in class about the openness of our society in terms of information production and sharing is largely driven by the online world but more importantly how do the communities within them behave , that drives some of these decisions. It was truly fascinating and a philosophical lesson i won't soon forget.
   
5. The Real World vs The Digital World. One of the struggles i realised is how do we balance our life in the real world and that on the digital world. With the convergence of technologies and mediums, we see that both these worlds are becoming increasingly intertwined so much so we traverse them countless times within a short period. A fictitious example would be listening to a Professor while replying to an urgent mail in class , i am interrupted by a sms to reply it but in doing so i need to check some information on Google. While doing all this, i am straining my senses to pay attention and multi-task to everything that is going on around me. Getting bored - i check my Facebook profile and the Twitter updates to see what is going on with my friends....and so on and so forth. These tools have enriched our lives but they have also introduced a whole set of "interesting" complications from being over reliant on technology to our lives becoming progressively faster that we demand tomorrows' results today! One thing i would like to go away with is the sense of being grounded and realising the important things in life. While we use these tools to enhance our lives, nothing can substitute reality and her delights. Being disciplined and not letting these tools engulf our livelihood and swallow us from our families, friends and loved ones around us.
   

In a nutshell, i can simply say that these tools are now additions to my Arsenal in facing reality and the working world.

With that it comes very heavy heart that i will soon bid farewell to SMU - the environment and people within that have been familiar to me for the last 4 years - but at the same time i look upon life ahead as being uncertain and posing new challenges. I wish everyone all the best in their endeavours and that at some point you will look back and think of the wonderful time we have had at SMU.

And to all those who at some point may have helped me along in my journey, i thank you for all the help and hope that someday we will run into each other!

À bientôt!

The Controversial Cartoons

Recently I read an article in the newspaper in our local papers which left me slapping my forehead with my palm and saying - "You have got to be kidding me..."

NATO's Pick An Affront To Muslims

The article talks about the deteriorating situation in Afghan and the concerns about neighbouring Pakistan which highlights the need for NATO members to increase their contributions to the Afghan mission.

What was shocking is that "NATO is about to name as its new Secretary General, a figure whom millions of Muslims detest more than almost any other European - Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark." I am sure we all remember the controversial cartoons in a Danish news publication which depicted Prophet Mohammed in unacceptable ways in a Copenhagen news publication - what's interesting was that Mr Rasmussen was then the Prime Minister of Denmark. It was reported that when the Ambassadors from 11 Muslim countries requested to meet and discuss the situation - he refused to do so!!!

In my opinion that was not only shocking but purely senseless; i get the whole idea of Denmark's freedom of expression but this move was simply undiplomatic. Presented with such an opportunity to calm things before a storm breaks out, Mr. Rasmussen chose to add fuel to the fire and the result was widespread riots & protests which endangered Danish people and embassies overseas. Even though the publication was in 2005, the incident is still fresh in our minds and it will be long before it is forgotten...

The author alludes to the idea that now the Taliban and its Al Qaeda allies across the border in

Pakistan will gain traction in its recruitment and support for its cause as it portrays NATO as being guided by its hatred for Islam.

I have a tendency to believe the views of the author and I think the appointment is sordidly tasteless. Unless Mr. Rasmussen can demonstrate that he has learned some painful lessons from 2005 and that NATO's choice in candidacy was driven by motivations to understand Islam and push the Afghan mission forward...i have a feeling there will be tumultuous times ahead for NATO.

More Bang for the Buck!

I am so excited to be going back to Scandinavia and i am sure the students are looking forward to it too! Just thought i would share some of my experiences from Summer 2008 and how i stretched my experience for the buck while in Europe.

I did a couple of things (aside from the study mission) while i was there;

1. Stayed with my cousin in Hamburg and took the opportunity to visit Berlin
   
2. After the mission, i stayed with a friend in Copenhagen and explored Denmark further ;)
3. Attended the 16th International Youth Leadership Conference (IYLC) in Prague!
   

The IYLC program was really awesome and truly a life changing experience. These are some of the highlights of the conference;

• Simulation of the United Nations Security Council Emergency Meeting
• International Criminal Court Mock Pre-Trial
• Model European Parliament Proceedings
• Visits to foreign embassies, Senate of the Czech Republic, European Commission, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Group debates and panel discussions on international security, environmental sustainability, rule of law, responsible leadership and mass media
• Meetings and banquet dinners with leading experts, diplomats, politicians and businessmen

Currently, the 18th IYLC will be running from July 19th to the 24th 2009. I believe there are rolling deadlines and the next one is on 30th March - quick check it out! Last time round i was surprised to see so many Singaporean students with the majority coming from SMU. Hopefully this time we will continue to have a good representation because i believe in the importance of having a cross-cultural exchange of ideas and the impact it has on molding the youth - the leaders of tomorrow!

Just some pictures to show what an awesome time every youth should experience - lots of learning & fun!

Dialogue with Slovenia's Ambassador to Czech Republic (at his residence!)



Simulation of European Parliament Proceedings (actual EU Parliament venue!)

Socialising on top of the PricewaterhouseCoopers building (beautiful view of Prague!)



Of course good fun at the pub after a hard day of work!

~ Carpe Diem :) ~

The Sustainability of Socialism

A couple of days ago i read an article in the Today paper about how the Danish government is compensating breast cancer victims who worked the graveyard shift. Apparently the International Agency for Research on Cancer placed shift work as a "possible human carcinogen" in 2007. Shockingly the article goes on to state that most studies have consistently found that shift-workers have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than woman who work regular daytime hours - on average, around 48% higher risk!

The research is so compelling that the Danish government has compensated women who have developed breast cancer after years of working night shifts. So far about 40 women have received payouts.

The welfare state is certainly a new concept for Singaporeans, who have to work hard on their own for forced savings to be directed into their individual CPF accounts. Simply put, you have to take care of your oneself - no government or upcoming younger generation is going to be taxed for your medical coverage and etc.

From the BSM in 2008, i thought what a wonderful system where everyone is being taken care of equally and fairly, albeit high and disproportionate tax payments. Don't get me wrong, i am not some full-fledged socialist with extreme fundamentals that everyone and anyone should be taken care of. However, i was certainly surprised to hear the other day, a Swedish guest speaker to our university talking disdainfully about socialism that has "consumed" his country. He truly believes that the socialist system has promoted lazy people to take advantage of the hardworking ones and quite rightly so; i would not argue with him on such sad aspects of human nature. What was truly shocking though, was that as he was speaking about his experiences it seemed clear that he was a beneficiary of such a "wonderful" system and even worse categorised himself as not being one of the smarter / hardworking ones to have contributed to the development of his community or the larger society he lived in.

I can't help to think after my experiences in Scandinavia and after listening to many Scandinavians speak about the current political system, that the growing tide of foreigners (excluding tourists and those looking to work legally) flocking to Northern Europe to benefit from the open borders and welfare system has left the new generation jaded. Unfortunately, i cannot comment more on a mere observation but it still would be interesting on the second trip there to study the socio-political system in greater detail and to draw comparisons with that of Singapore.

The Welfare State - this will surely be one of the "culture shocks" the BSM 2009 students will be experiencing.

1. 

We have a face :)

We have finally got a letterhead up and running thanks to one of the students, Joshua Leong, who is also in charge of Relationship Management.

The combined image depicts the destinations we will be visiting during the study mission - Denmark (The Little Mermaid Statue in Copenhagen), Sweden (Turning Torso) & Norway (Fjord).

With this we will be more recognisable when communicating with external parties. Now if we can only get funding for a banner :)

Scandinavian Design

I know it has been an extremely long time since i have last blogged here - i have been experiencing a type of inertia that has only been perpetuated with lethargy and other seemingly more important things to do...

That is about to change; BSM Scandinavia 2009 is well underway and it is my mission to bring in fresh content and interesting perspectives...now the only question is whether i can maintain the same enthusiasm after pulling an all-nighter ;)

The theme for 2009 is about sustainability while that of Summer 2008 was on nation branding (2nd Project). In this post, i would like to share more about another individual project about Scandinavian Design. My groupmate (Melissa Ho) and I sought to find out more about Scandinavian design and we realised it's more than just Ikea furnishings! Characterised by its simple lines, neutral tones and emphasis on functionality are some of the many aspects that have made Scandinavian Design and international hit.

I have attempted to share the slides through this blog, so i hope it works. You will see how Scandinavian design provokes the question of how design can solve problems and increase the comfort of our lives. For me, the highlight was the ability to interview and invite Mr. Jonas Ericsson, Managing Director of Style Nordic to share with us more about the uniqueness and appeal of Scandinavian design.

I will also start another applet that will mark upcoming events that are related to the BSM. First up, an exciting exhibition on Verner Panton's collected works will be on exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore from 14th May to 11th June 2009 - just in time before we fly off for Copenhagen!

Featured below is the famous Panton Chair which i am sure many of you have seen before and sat on them - now you know they are knock-offs of the great designer whose designs go for a very hefty price. Read more about Verner Panton.

BSM Scandinavia on its 2nd run!

Hi everyone! My name is Naresh and this is my first post on my very own blog. This blog is a joint project to allow me to learn more about digital media (COMM 215: Digital Media Across Asia by Professor Michael Netzley) and also as a platform to connect with like-minded individuals.

You see, i was a participant of a course called BSM Scandinavia in the summer of 2008 where we were able to learn about the Scandinavian way of doing business and also understand the unique social-political system there. We also had the opportunity of visiting Scandinavian companies and interacting with the officials from the Tetra Pak Facility in Singapore as well as the birthplace of Ikea in Almhult, Sweden and Lego in Billund, Denmark to name a few.

I truly had an amazing experience that summer in Northern Europe and this time round, i will be the Teaching Assistant for the course! I look forward to share my experiences with you, pictures, thoughts and ideas which struck a chord with me. I hope you enjoy the material and I look forward to any comments and creating a community of knowledge providers with regards to Digital Media & Scandinavia :)

To end off, I have included a picture i took of my former classmates as we were preparing for a talk on Nation Branding by the officials from the Swedish Institute (Si) - Stockholm, Sweden. And so the journey begins...