Jennie Donkie's World

The problem with introspection is that it has no end. So everyone should have a journal to record their flow of thoughts.

[unikjen]

I do think there is some correlation between a high GPA and a person's willingness to work hard. This effects how much success they will ultimately have.

JJ (Joshua Jordison)

Entrepreneur | Impresario | Writer. I live to create, contribute and inspire.

"I dropped-out of a private university, even though I was in the top 3% of the school (academically). A college degree just wasn't going to help me get into the industry I wanted to thrive in (music and entertainment). 

I do think there is some correlation between a high GPA and a person's willingness to work hard. This effects how much success they will ultimately have.

I often wrestle with whether I want to go back and finish college. My parents couldn't afford to send me to the types of colleges I could have gotten into (Stanford, Harvard, Brown, Wharton etc). If I do go back, it will be to a college of that caliber... but not because it will effect my income. It will be because I love learning and want to finish what I started.   I'd recommend that all people strive to be the absolute best in everything they do, including college.   If you're going to do something, go kick ass at it! The experience will set you up to kick ass at more things. You'll get momentum, which is really important for long term success."

[unikjen]

A great site for roommate and room finding in Singapore - HOMIE

I had been stuck for finding a good website to look for a room to rent in Singapore until last night I found Homie!

This is quite a new site that allows landlords and tenants both post ads to voice out their needs and offers. You can customise your profile with pictures, photos of your places, renting conditions such as non-smoker and no-pet, also can write a short biography so that other people can filter the useful bits of information super easily. One of Homie's unique feature is that it has a map that locates listings and the nearby amenities. Believe me, this is exceptionally useful. I think it's the first one of its kind in Singapore. 

Another speciality of Homie is that the website offers the choice of looking for roommates. There will be thousands of profile with photo, biography and information of their needs for you to browse. If you like anyone, you can easily message them with a click!

Don't forget to 'shortlist' the 'candidates' so that you can review later! (This is another great feature of Homie.)

The website generally runs fast and has a nice, modern and smooth look. I reckon that it was created by the young minds. I mean young minds not binding to young age *blink*.

Well, now comes the best part. When I checked my email box, I saw the greeting email from Homie's administrator. It sounds normal, except for this part: "That's it! Reply to this email to say hi, or ask us any questions!"

My reaction after reading this line is "Oh I can just reply do say hi, really?" And I did. "Hi Darius

I just reply to say your website Homie is terrific! I'll rate it the best website to look for a roommate by now. The map that locates listings and nearby amenities is awesome. Thank you and your team to create Homie! :) 

Regards

Jennifer"

Actually I did not expect a reply. However, 10 mins later I receive an email from Darius. 

"Thanks Jennifer, we really, really appreciate your comment.

We really hope to create a good experience -

we are still early and the more people use it, the more useful it would become, so do let your friends know! (we will keep it free forever, in case you are wondering)

And do let us know how we can improve!

Thanks.

Darius

on behalf of team Homie"

This email is CC to the core team of Homie too. Oh gosh, can you see the developers of Homie is so nice! Exactly as he mentioned, I was wondering if Homie is free because an established site of searching for rooms Easyroommate charges us more than two dollars a day. So, this is a good news for everyone in Singapore!

Okay, the last interesting thing I've just found is that Darius is also in the developing team of BillPin - another cool app you all should take a look!

After two days continuing to give encouraging comments and compliments to people, seeing how happy they are, how willing to improve things they become, I see that compliments do make the world a little bit (or much) better.

[unikjen]

I bumped into this novel when searching photos of Bun Cha (grilled pork with vermicelli). I want to thank the author for writing such an appealing novel about Vietnam like this. I think I will buy the book when I come back home. Hmm I'm still not sure where it will be published and distributed, and in what language either. Because I want to share it with my mom, the novel better be in both Vietnamese and English versions! 

I left a comment on the blog entry of Publication as follows,

"Hi Sapuche! Thank you for writing about Vietnam. I really like the first chapter of your novel! A lot of surprise and twists that kept me absorbed in the story. I hope to read it in full soon. Will it be published in ebook format too?"

It was such a surprising joy that the novel author - Sapuche replied my comment asking about the ebook version mostly immediately. Here is what he said,

"Hi Jennifer!

I should thank YOU for taking the time to read the first chapter of my novel, and also for leaving your nice comment. The novel will be available at around this time next year, and yes, it will be published in ebook format in addition to a traditional paper format. I hope you enjoy the novel when you have a chance to read it in full!

Thanks again for your comment! It means a lot."

Thanks Sapuche. You made my day!

[unikjen]

Wow I think I’ve been blind for so long! Four years have passed and I only had Vietnamese friends. I must admit that my Vietnamese community here is so strong and always supported but simultaneously enclosed me in a particular community.

I guess that I’m not the only case because I have so many exceptional friends who mostly went to work/school everyday then went back home to stay with Vietnamese friends; on weekends they hang out with their Vietnamese friends; on holidays they celebrate or travel with their Vietnamese friends as well. And they complain, as I did, that Singaporeans are so cold, so arid!

But when I read blogs and followed my Singaporean acquaintances' facebook I was puzzled! They do have very interesting social lives. They are not workaholic robots at all. And I wonder how blinded I was by prejudice and word of mouth.

Now I decided to go out of my comfort zone and make friends with not only my ‘same kind of blood’ friends but also with local and international friends! Hey, I’m living in an amazing cosmopolitan city, am I? :)

Below are just some thoughts from people on sgforums I found regretful not reading earlier. "You shouldn't have any problems making new friends overseas as long as you keep an open mind and maintain a willingness to mingle with people from other cultures.

About the worst thing you could do is spend almost all of your free time among your fellow countrymen. I saw this happen with other Singaporean students during my undergrad and grad years, and could find no sympathy for them when they complained of not being able to make friends outside of their own clique of Singaporean and Malaysian colleagues." "In the beginning, you'll make a lot of aquaintances first, because real friendship takes time to build.  But over time, when you have gained each other's trust, you can find yourself with new friends. 

If you're alone in a foreign land, things are always tougher in the first year or so and different people will have different adjustment rates and adaptability.  Plus, all of us face different circumstances and challenges which will determine how well and how quickly we settle in.

Now, I have Malaysian/Singaporean friends but I've also made friends with quite a few Aussies and people of other nationalities like South Africans, Polish, Romanians, Indians, British, etc.  It's a really interesting mix. 

The key is open mind and no expectations.  You'll find a lot of differences with those who come from different places but try to focus on the similarities and not accentuate the differences. 

The longer you remain overseas, you'll realise that the more you'll lose friends who are back home anyways.  "Out of sight, out of mind".  Migrants will always tell you that they think fondly of their friends back home but their friends quickly move on and forget them all too quickly.  All migrants I've spoken to talk of this stage they go through where they are 'neither here nor there' - going home is no longer the same because things change, and yet you aren't exactly firmly rooted in your new home yet.  It's the uncomfortable stage where one finds oneself 'in limbo'. "

[unikjen]

I was worried about how I can do marketing without being able to make infographics, design a poster or at least draw something nice. The most frustrating feeling is when you are artsy but you have no artistic talents at all. It's like I have been practicing guitar for one year but I'm still not self-confident enough to give performance a try! Then I was pondering over buying a Wacom touch pad to draw and/or design. It's too way expensive and I wanted to know if it would be of any use at all after being bought! (You know I'm artsy but artless!) I thought about "Why not trying doodle on ipad?". And yay! Here we are with these pictures! This is my first time trying to "doodle" (except for the game Doodle Hangman) using an amazing iPad's app called Drawing Box! I had to pay S$3.98 for it but it's really worth the money!  Now it made me think twice about my 'potential' capability again haha! (forgive me about my boasting but drawing with Drawing Box is terrific!)