Hi, everyone!
As every other Junior (3rd year student) in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), I had to go for a 3-month "research training" outside of UTM.
But I didn't.
Instead, I went out of my way to get an intern position at a courier company.
And right before I started my internship, The Internship was /coincidentally/ on TV every single day.
And I watched the movie every single day.
Because I loved it.
The movie taught me 5 things:
I was inspired and got more and more excited for my internship.
I didn't know what to expect but I set out with only one goal in mind: to be able to look back at my Summer and say, as Owen Wilson did in the movie:
THE WORK
It was mid-June,
I had just got back from Vietnam when I immediately began my 3-month internship at Nationwide Express Courier Services Berhad (NECSB).
I started my internship at Nationwide Express on June 16th.
It is located in Shah Alam, well away from my hometown of Johor Bahru.
To most people, the three months away from classes would be the time to go back home and maybe look for a place to intern nearby.
For me, it was the time for me to move away from home and set out to do my own thing.
I was placed in the Quality & Risk Management Department, arguably the most intimidating department of all departments.
There, I met my supervisor (or rather, boss) who was surprisingly pleasant and very open to discussions and questions.
She entrusted me with a project she wanted to work on and I was in charge of data analysis.
We took on a process improvement project by Six Sigma approach, which required a lot of statistical know-how and mathematical expertise.
That's where I came in.
For those of you who don't know, I just started my Senior (final) year of my Bachelor's degree in Mathematics at UTMJB.
I am well versed in the mathematical area, enjoy proving theorems and learning about the intricacies of the purest of sciences.
Therefore, from start to finish, I was heavily involved in data compiling, interviewing, research, data analysis, graphical representation, problem solving, interpretation and DMAIC write-up.
However, that wasn't the only thing I did at my internship.
At NECSB, I was introduced to the concept of PIES when I attended Induction Training.
PIES or physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual refers to the balance we must achieve in all those aspects to attain a healthy and happy life,
They did a lot of PIES at NECSB, like taking off footwear in the office, religious talks during Ramadan, social gatherings, inter-departmental discussions and the occasional pot luck to liven up the atmosphere.
Workers are also encouraged to generate new ideas and relay them to their bosses for further deliberation.
Any idea or suggestion that could improve the company in any area is welcome, and it motivated me to design a smartphone application for the company.
Ah, but that was only the tip of the iceberg.
THE PLAY (BUT IN ALL ACTUALITY WAS ALSO WORK)
The decision to move out of the house and live with my aunt in PJ was premeditated, long before the 6th semester started in February.
I had already imagined going to events, hanging out in KL and do a LOT of street shooting.
I envisioned contacting camera companies and persuading them into lending me gear to shoot and review.
I saw myself meeting friends, meeting new people and just go out.
I would be free of most of my responsibilities and just live for myself, in the moment.
I would be able to work on adding a truck load of content to THE FEAR.
Honestly, it was the real reason why I wanted to intern in Selangor.
Work was only during the weekdays, which left me the weekends to wander into the city and just lose myself in the urban jungle.
It was exciting and took quite the effort, but I just went with it and it was liberating.
The first few weeks weren't really exciting, though.
I had a lot to do at work and it tired me.
Very little updates here and on Twitter, where I would just try to set things in order.
Heck, even my posts here were only of the trip to Vietnam.
It was the adapting period, after all.
And then two weeks into the internship, it was already fasting month.
Not that it slowed me down, but I had to corroborate my schedule with some other personal stuff that made it a bit difficult to just get on the train and ride into street photo land.
But I got one weekend where I was totally free and from that weekend, I produced two very well received entries:
It was awesome!
Writing reviews was always something I wanted to do for a few reasons:
The month of August started off great.
It was the beginning of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and everyone was in a good mood.
I came back to NECSB after a week off and looked forward to do way more content addition to THE FEAR since I could just go out freely again.
And then came Friday, August 8th, where everything started to heat up.
I was on my bed, scrolling through Instagram.
I just got back from work and it was about 7PM.
While I was scrolling through, double tapping cool photos and such, I saw Shila Amzah's post that said something along the lines of "See you at Paradigm Mall tonight" and I was like "BUT THAT'S JUST RIGHT BEHIND OUR HOUSE!"
So I got up, put my clothes back on, prayed (never forget your prayers, people!) and shot straight to Paradigm Mall.
And there she was, all dolled up and embracing the cheers of fans:
I was there for the whole event.
It was a short introduction to her concert and after that an autograph session.
She was the nicest person and even looked my way a few times for some photos.
But the weekend wasn't over yet.
In fact, it only just started.
On Saturday, MBLAQ was in town for K Festival 2014 at Pavilion KL.
And of course, I was there to cover the event.
They only appeared on stage for about half an hour.
Their set comprised three songs, a short introduction and a very awkward Q&A session.
It was okay, though, because fans finally got to see MBLAQ in Malaysia.
I just hope they'll come back here soon.
The next day, I was in charge of photographing my cousin's firstborn's potong jambul ceremony.
That was also a lot of fun.
But before that, I got to go to Animangaki (anime convention), where I met my childhood hero Spider-Man and the MTV World Stage Road Show at Sunway Pyramid, where I met the lovely Hanli.
And that concluded my first weekend in August.
The next weekend would call for an even better experience.
I got to cover MTV World Stage Malaysia 2014 as a Media member!
As I said, I contacted a lot of concert organizers and I figured one of them was bound to respond.
And the organizers to MTV World Stage did, bearing good news.
I was granted media credentials to cover the event.
It gave me a sort of a special treatment like a media room to do my work, bottomless supply of drinks and a chance to see the concert from the eyes of a media reporter.
I got to meet with all the other media and we exchanged business cards.
It was a grand moment to network and introduce THE FEAR to the world and I was all but thrilled.
The very fact that I covered this event meant that I would probably score more media accreditation in the future, and I was really happy seeing this blog take off.
The concert was good and I got to hang out with some pretty cool people.
I didn't do anything the next day because my body was sore from all the jumping and singing (screaming, actually).
Two weekends down, two weekends to go.
But no, I didn't slow down.
Not at all.
Before the next weekend came, I got to go to KL on Thursday.
It was August 21st and I had to sit for my GRE General Test.
The test was excellent; excellently mind-blowing.
It was one of the requirements to apply at overseas universities for my post-graduate studies.
I took a leave on that day and spent the rest of the day in KL, where I visited my all-time favorite place: Nikon Centre.
There, I compiled content for another review I wrote of the Nikon D810:
That Saturday, I met up with an old friend of mine, Haniesha.
I had this idea where I wanted to introduce an external element to my blog.
Before this, it was all just about my photography and the events that I went to.
It was all only my input and my experiences.
Hence, I figured it would be a marvelous idea to do interviews and introduce people here.
And what's better than to introduce to everyone the people that inspire and motivate me to improve and better myself.
Haniesha was the first person to be featured at THE FEAR and I got to say, the reception the entry has gotten is very encouraging.
The next day, I went to KL again to photograph the first official gathering of a local K-pop fanclub:
That was a lot of fun.
I know basically everyone in the fanclub and it was nice to hang out and meet fellow fans of Apink.
We did a whole video shoot session, as well, but I wasn't in charge of that.
The final weekend of August wasn't as hectic as the previous weekends.
It was sad that I already had to go back to UTM the next weekend.
That final weekend of August, I didn't go to any event or shoot anything.
I did, however, meet up with another friend of mine for my next FEATURE (so stay tuned!).
All in all, I HAD A BLAST!
My internship was all that I wished for and more.
I got to see what the working world was like, learn how to communicate with my co-workers, build relationships and apply a lot of the knowledge that I had gained in my 3 years in university into my work.
I enjoyed doing the data analysis, investigating cases and solving problems.
I learned that even though you work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week in the same spot every single day, it doesn't have to be dull and monotonous.
It was great exposure and the fact that everyone at Nationwide Express was so welcoming really made my time there pleasant.
Moreover, my weekends in KL were downright unbelievably fun and fruitful.
I got to meet a lot of new people, distribute my business card and build connections.
I got to pursue my dream of becoming a writer, where my blog was the paper and my fingers the pen.
I also got to fully indulge in my photography, where it has gained a lot of recognition, as well.
I gained media access to an event and I talked to a lot of PR people and am now on several media lists.
I now know how to assert myself in front of people and how to communicate with people of different levels.
I feel much more capable of handling myself.
Overall, I just feel more alive.
I proved to myself that I can pursue my dreams while still leading my current life.
Extra work isn't a burden if it means making myself happy.
To get what you want, you must put in all the effort necessary before leaving it to God whether to bestow upon you the break you always asked for.
And if it doesn't come, know that the only thing to do is to keep at it, work harder and just do more.
At the end of August, I looked back at my life in the past three months and how I had achieved so much in such little time.
THE FEAR gained a considerable amount of readers, which skyrocketed in August, breaking the record of most visitors in a month.
Check this out:
I feel so blessed and so proud.
I hope to keep adding content, keep meeting people and keep up the work.
I now feel responsible for providing as much as I can to this blog so that I can keep my dream alive.
In fact, after those three months, I'm reconsidering my future and my goals.
Hopefully they will fall into place beautifully.
It just takes passion and prayers.
So there you have it.
The story of my internship and everything revolving around it.
I am looking forward to more adventures in the future; more events, more shooting, more jobs and Hell of a lot more fun.
You can check out all the photos above either at my personal Flickr stream here or QZ Photography's stream here.
What more can I say?
As every other Junior (3rd year student) in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), I had to go for a 3-month "research training" outside of UTM.
But I didn't.
Instead, I went out of my way to get an intern position at a courier company.
And right before I started my internship, The Internship was /coincidentally/ on TV every single day.
And I watched the movie every single day.
Because I loved it.
The Internship, starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson
The movie taught me 5 things:
- Do not be afraid to take on a job you know nothing about.
- Better late than never.
- Always be open to learning new things.
- Explore, talk to people, meet new friends.
- Just enjoy the ride and whatever happens, happens.
I was inspired and got more and more excited for my internship.
I didn't know what to expect but I set out with only one goal in mind: to be able to look back at my Summer and say, as Owen Wilson did in the movie:
"Hell of a Summer."
THE WORK
It was mid-June,
I had just got back from Vietnam when I immediately began my 3-month internship at Nationwide Express Courier Services Berhad (NECSB).
Nationwide Corporate Office, place of internship
I started my internship at Nationwide Express on June 16th.
It is located in Shah Alam, well away from my hometown of Johor Bahru.
To most people, the three months away from classes would be the time to go back home and maybe look for a place to intern nearby.
For me, it was the time for me to move away from home and set out to do my own thing.
I was placed in the Quality & Risk Management Department, arguably the most intimidating department of all departments.
There, I met my supervisor (or rather, boss) who was surprisingly pleasant and very open to discussions and questions.
She entrusted me with a project she wanted to work on and I was in charge of data analysis.
We took on a process improvement project by Six Sigma approach, which required a lot of statistical know-how and mathematical expertise.
That's where I came in.
For those of you who don't know, I just started my Senior (final) year of my Bachelor's degree in Mathematics at UTMJB.
I am well versed in the mathematical area, enjoy proving theorems and learning about the intricacies of the purest of sciences.
Therefore, from start to finish, I was heavily involved in data compiling, interviewing, research, data analysis, graphical representation, problem solving, interpretation and DMAIC write-up.
However, that wasn't the only thing I did at my internship.
At NECSB, I was introduced to the concept of PIES when I attended Induction Training.
PIES or physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual refers to the balance we must achieve in all those aspects to attain a healthy and happy life,
They did a lot of PIES at NECSB, like taking off footwear in the office, religious talks during Ramadan, social gatherings, inter-departmental discussions and the occasional pot luck to liven up the atmosphere.
Workers are also encouraged to generate new ideas and relay them to their bosses for further deliberation.
Any idea or suggestion that could improve the company in any area is welcome, and it motivated me to design a smartphone application for the company.
Ah, but that was only the tip of the iceberg.
THE PLAY (BUT IN ALL ACTUALITY WAS ALSO WORK)
The decision to move out of the house and live with my aunt in PJ was premeditated, long before the 6th semester started in February.
I had already imagined going to events, hanging out in KL and do a LOT of street shooting.
I envisioned contacting camera companies and persuading them into lending me gear to shoot and review.
I saw myself meeting friends, meeting new people and just go out.
I would be free of most of my responsibilities and just live for myself, in the moment.
I would be able to work on adding a truck load of content to THE FEAR.
Honestly, it was the real reason why I wanted to intern in Selangor.
Work was only during the weekdays, which left me the weekends to wander into the city and just lose myself in the urban jungle.
It was exciting and took quite the effort, but I just went with it and it was liberating.
The first few weeks weren't really exciting, though.
I had a lot to do at work and it tired me.
Very little updates here and on Twitter, where I would just try to set things in order.
Heck, even my posts here were only of the trip to Vietnam.
It was the adapting period, after all.
And then two weeks into the internship, it was already fasting month.
Not that it slowed me down, but I had to corroborate my schedule with some other personal stuff that made it a bit difficult to just get on the train and ride into street photo land.
But I got one weekend where I was totally free and from that weekend, I produced two very well received entries:
Writing reviews was always something I wanted to do for a few reasons:
- I get to play with all sorts of gear.
- I love writing.
- I love sharing my opinions and thoughts with people and welcome feedback.
To be able to do this on a regular basis was something that made me really happy and I loved the fact that I could do it every weekend I wanted to since I only lived a train ride away.
July went by really fast.
I spent my days contacting concert organizers, PR people and camera companies to either ask for media credentials or lend me products to review.
Some companies did get back to me but most would just ignore me.
It wasn't daunting, though.
I remained positive and built on the ones that did respond.
Of course, some eventually denied access or couldn't provide gear, but I was still glad that they took the time to actually consider my proposals.
It showed me that a little courage can go a long way.
I remained optimistic and continued to contact them and send them my portfolio.
I don't remember doing a lot of shooting in July.
Most of the work I did was to add content to this blog, like event updates, event info and reviews.
However, the end of June saw a lot more opportunities open up, and enter August: the month of supreme awesomeness.
The month of August started off great.
It was the beginning of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and everyone was in a good mood.
I came back to NECSB after a week off and looked forward to do way more content addition to THE FEAR since I could just go out freely again.
And then came Friday, August 8th, where everything started to heat up.
I was on my bed, scrolling through Instagram.
I just got back from work and it was about 7PM.
While I was scrolling through, double tapping cool photos and such, I saw Shila Amzah's post that said something along the lines of "See you at Paradigm Mall tonight" and I was like "BUT THAT'S JUST RIGHT BEHIND OUR HOUSE!"
So I got up, put my clothes back on, prayed (never forget your prayers, people!) and shot straight to Paradigm Mall.
And there she was, all dolled up and embracing the cheers of fans:
I was there for the whole event.
It was a short introduction to her concert and after that an autograph session.
She was the nicest person and even looked my way a few times for some photos.
But the weekend wasn't over yet.
In fact, it only just started.
On Saturday, MBLAQ was in town for K Festival 2014 at Pavilion KL.
And of course, I was there to cover the event.
They only appeared on stage for about half an hour.
Their set comprised three songs, a short introduction and a very awkward Q&A session.
It was okay, though, because fans finally got to see MBLAQ in Malaysia.
I just hope they'll come back here soon.
The next day, I was in charge of photographing my cousin's firstborn's potong jambul ceremony.
That was also a lot of fun.
But before that, I got to go to Animangaki (anime convention), where I met my childhood hero Spider-Man and the MTV World Stage Road Show at Sunway Pyramid, where I met the lovely Hanli.
Sick Spidey was SICK (you know, in the good way)
"Hey, you!"
"Maybe it's the right time to pick my nose"
And that concluded my first weekend in August.
The next weekend would call for an even better experience.
I got to cover MTV World Stage Malaysia 2014 as a Media member!
As I said, I contacted a lot of concert organizers and I figured one of them was bound to respond.
And the organizers to MTV World Stage did, bearing good news.
I was granted media credentials to cover the event.
It gave me a sort of a special treatment like a media room to do my work, bottomless supply of drinks and a chance to see the concert from the eyes of a media reporter.
I got to meet with all the other media and we exchanged business cards.
It was a grand moment to network and introduce THE FEAR to the world and I was all but thrilled.
The very fact that I covered this event meant that I would probably score more media accreditation in the future, and I was really happy seeing this blog take off.
The concert was good and I got to hang out with some pretty cool people.
I didn't do anything the next day because my body was sore from all the jumping and singing (screaming, actually).
Two weekends down, two weekends to go.
But no, I didn't slow down.
Not at all.
Before the next weekend came, I got to go to KL on Thursday.
It was August 21st and I had to sit for my GRE General Test.
The test was excellent; excellently mind-blowing.
It was one of the requirements to apply at overseas universities for my post-graduate studies.
I took a leave on that day and spent the rest of the day in KL, where I visited my all-time favorite place: Nikon Centre.
There, I compiled content for another review I wrote of the Nikon D810:
That Saturday, I met up with an old friend of mine, Haniesha.
I had this idea where I wanted to introduce an external element to my blog.
Before this, it was all just about my photography and the events that I went to.
It was all only my input and my experiences.
Hence, I figured it would be a marvelous idea to do interviews and introduce people here.
And what's better than to introduce to everyone the people that inspire and motivate me to improve and better myself.
Haniesha was the first person to be featured at THE FEAR and I got to say, the reception the entry has gotten is very encouraging.
The next day, I went to KL again to photograph the first official gathering of a local K-pop fanclub:
#ApinkMYOG2014 (ApinkMY Official Gathering 2014)
That was a lot of fun.
I know basically everyone in the fanclub and it was nice to hang out and meet fellow fans of Apink.
We did a whole video shoot session, as well, but I wasn't in charge of that.
The final weekend of August wasn't as hectic as the previous weekends.
It was sad that I already had to go back to UTM the next weekend.
That final weekend of August, I didn't go to any event or shoot anything.
I did, however, meet up with another friend of mine for my next FEATURE (so stay tuned!).
All in all, I HAD A BLAST!
My internship was all that I wished for and more.
I got to see what the working world was like, learn how to communicate with my co-workers, build relationships and apply a lot of the knowledge that I had gained in my 3 years in university into my work.
I enjoyed doing the data analysis, investigating cases and solving problems.
I learned that even though you work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week in the same spot every single day, it doesn't have to be dull and monotonous.
It was great exposure and the fact that everyone at Nationwide Express was so welcoming really made my time there pleasant.
Moreover, my weekends in KL were downright unbelievably fun and fruitful.
I got to meet a lot of new people, distribute my business card and build connections.
I got to pursue my dream of becoming a writer, where my blog was the paper and my fingers the pen.
I also got to fully indulge in my photography, where it has gained a lot of recognition, as well.
I gained media access to an event and I talked to a lot of PR people and am now on several media lists.
I now know how to assert myself in front of people and how to communicate with people of different levels.
I feel much more capable of handling myself.
Overall, I just feel more alive.
I proved to myself that I can pursue my dreams while still leading my current life.
Extra work isn't a burden if it means making myself happy.
To get what you want, you must put in all the effort necessary before leaving it to God whether to bestow upon you the break you always asked for.
And if it doesn't come, know that the only thing to do is to keep at it, work harder and just do more.
At the end of August, I looked back at my life in the past three months and how I had achieved so much in such little time.
THE FEAR gained a considerable amount of readers, which skyrocketed in August, breaking the record of most visitors in a month.
Check this out:
From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU
I feel so blessed and so proud.
I hope to keep adding content, keep meeting people and keep up the work.
I now feel responsible for providing as much as I can to this blog so that I can keep my dream alive.
In fact, after those three months, I'm reconsidering my future and my goals.
Hopefully they will fall into place beautifully.
It just takes passion and prayers.
So there you have it.
The story of my internship and everything revolving around it.
I am looking forward to more adventures in the future; more events, more shooting, more jobs and Hell of a lot more fun.
You can check out all the photos above either at my personal Flickr stream here or QZ Photography's stream here.
What more can I say?
"Hell of a Summer"
Comments