Guest Blog

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One Big Family: CASS FOC 2011
 By Nicholas Teo

Even though the CASS Circus Freshman Orientation Camp had long over run, and it was obvious that the campers were tired, they still managed to summon up the remnants of their energy and do the final mass dance at MLT 8. With Katy Perry’s popular pop song “Peacock” playing overheard, the campers, organising committee and games personnel alike synchronised their steps with such unity that could only arise from the precious time spent together.

   CASS Circus Freshman Orientation Camp Flag at MLT 8 - - Photo: Charmian, Daniel, Jedidah & Kelvin.

The CASS Circus Freshman Orientation Camp was a three day and two night camp organised by the CASS Club Committee in three months from Wednesday 30 March to Friday 1 April. With a total of 62 campers, students, who were split into seven groups, went around Singapore Polytechnic to play age old games such as the Scavenger Hunt, Tug of War and Telematch.

CASS Circus Freshman Orientation Camp Tug of War Station Game at Singapore Polytechnic Field  - - Photo: Charmian, Daniel, Jedidah & Kelvin.

“Even though we were a small group, Dextor and Jaime (our group leaders) were very enthusiastic and never lost hope,” said Wee Tze, a Year One Diploma in Media and Communication (DMC) camper. “They were like a big brother and sister to us.”

CASS Circus Freshman Orientation Camp Honey Stars Challenge during Station Games at CASS Club room Stairs  - - Photo: Charmian, Daniel, Jedidah & Kelvin.

Integration and experimentation was the word of the day (or three days) as the camp aimed to integrate the newly minted Year One School of Communication, Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) students into the polytechnic environment, and allowed students to experiment with exactly how far would they step out of their comfort zone.

“I learnt that it is important to step out of your comfort zone and do something that you normally wouldn’t do,” said 17 year old Nazurah Nazri, a Year One DMC student. “You gain respect and that boosts your confidence.”

CASS Circus Freshman Orientation Camp Carnival Night  - - Photo: Charmian, Daniel, Jedidah & Kelvin.

Agreed 17 year old Masagoes Agoes Masayoe Nabilah, another Year One DMC student: “I learnt that it is important to take initiative. For example, during this camp, someone has to step up, even though everyone is quiet and shy. If no one steps out, it would be really quiet and dull.”

CASS Circus Freshman Orientation Camp Camp Fire Night at Singapo Polytechnic Basketball Court - - Photo: Charmian, Daniel, Jedidah & Kelvin.

So after the camp, on a scale of one to five, with one being the worse and five being the best, how would the students rate the CASS Camp? Out of the students I interviewed, an impressive 70% gave a maximum rating of five, with some of the comments including words such as “awesome”, “memorable” and ‘fun”.

In the words of one of the campers, Wee Tze said, “Different people can come together and become one big family”. Despite CASS being the smallest school in Singapore Polytechnic, we have the loudest voice and we make the biggest impact.

The CASS Camp has achieved its objectives of integrating the students and allowing them to experiment with how far they would step out of their comfort zones. As the students broke camp, bonds were forged and friendships were ignited which would last way beyond the span of the camp.

CASS Circus Freshman Orientation Camp Honey Stars Challenge during Station Games at CASS Club room Stairs  - - Photo: Charmian, Daniel, Jedidah & Kelvin.

DMC From a Year One's Perspective

Esther Subramanium

Producing short films.
Creating a campaign for a pizza chain.
Writing a blog post.


Wouldn’t you think that these activities are great fun?

Well, these are the things I get to do as a first-year student in DMC.


I’ve always had a passion for media and I never had a doubt about what sort of education I wanted to pursue after completing my ‘O’ levels. Thankfully, my applications to DMC met with success and after one year in SP, there are quite a few things that I’ve come to love.


For starters, I must say that completing projects have become really enjoyable. And yes, that is something I never thought I would say. But how can it not when I get to go on fieldtrips to MediaCorp, write a report on a television drama, and pen my own scripts? While it almost sounds too good to be true, I must admit that there are times where my friends and I grit our teeth at the thought of studying for exams and struggle to meet datelines. Like most youths, I always feel that there is too much to do and too little time. But somehow, at the end of the day, I’ll find motivation surfacing again. I guess that that spur stems from the fact that essentially, I love what I’m doing.


Studies aside, meeting new people has been an eye-opening experience. I don’t recall being reckoned with as many colourful personalities as I’ve had in the past year. Among my classmates are those who sing and play guitar, those who tell the lamest jokes, and those who believe in unicorns. All of them love the camera, and I am proud to say that the camera loves them too. Did I also mention that they are now my closest friends? Yup, we all need friends that can turn the most somber of situations into a wacky state of affairs, and I’m thankful to have found a wonderful bunch!

My Awesome Classmates from DMC 04!

 

Our lecturers have also been blessings to us. I used to think that friendly teachers are hard to come by, but not anymore. It has become a norm to talk to tutors and lecturers and a personal level, and that is something that I really appreciate.


Well, it has been a fruitful year for me and I hope that yours has been nothing short of that. While I anticipate the much-needed holidays, I’m glad that I can actually say that I welcome the new school term in April 2011. :)

My Internship at a Social Media Agency!

By MJ Quek

Hey, everyone! This is Mj Quek here. Just like the first guest blogger, I am a 3rd year SP Diploma in Media & Communication student (DMC), who is currently in the midst of a 3-month internship at yolk.

No, I'm not working inside an egg but rather at a beautifully furnished and comfortable haven in Somerset.

So what exactly is yolk all about?

To simply put it, yolk is a local digital agency that specialises in web design, digital marketing and social media campaigns (their latest expansion).

I came to know of yolk through Singapore Design Festival 2009, which I attended together with my course-mates for a design & illustration module. It was there and then where I learnt more about their operations and their award-winning projects.

And you bet, yolk was one of those companies that I wish I could intern in.

So, it was to my delight when my friend, who later became my internship partner, told me that yolk is looking for social media interns.

And you can safely bet again that I immediately gave yolk a call, scheduled an interview with them and off I went - An official intern at yolk!

As I am typing this blog post on my iPod Touch (Yes, as a media student, everything you do is mobile), I have already worked at yolk for close to 3 months and I am ending my internship pretty soon.

For these 3 months, I felt really thankful. Both to SP DMC and yolk.

Thankful to SP DMC because the skills and knowledge that I have learnt and picked up during the course of my study have helped me a great deal for internship.

Thankful to yolk because they have provided me with a lot of platforms to apply skills that I have learnt and opportunities to learn and grow from where I am now.

To me, internship is like the pinnacle of one's polytechnic education. Everything that one has absorbed during countless hours of lectures and tutorials are going to be truly tested at the company or agency that one is attached to.

Forget about exams, tests and projects! Internship is the real deal and probably the time where even "so-called" failures shine brightly and leave their supervisors in sheer amazement.

That is the wonder of a polytechnic education, ladies and gentlemen. You learn practical skills from industry experts and you get to apply them in internship after being all buffed with newfound talents during your studies!

For that reason, I have never regretted choosing the polytechnic route and I absolutely love my time in SP DMC and yolk.

Life's great, when you make it to be.

Winning Cass Idol
By Sadali


CASS Idol wasn’t any other ordinary contest. It was one that gave different individuals with different talents a spot to shine! There were dancers, a yo-yo player and finally, singers from the different courses in CASS, namely : DMC, DTVM and DADP!

So how was my experience like in CASS Idol? One word : Excellent.

I have to admit, it was all unplanned, I mean I always had the fantasy of singing in front of a huge crowd but yet I was afraid, so when the auditions were held, my friends pushed me to do it because I was so reluctant!

The best part? I actually didn’t have enough money to pay the $2 for the audition. I’m not saying I earned a million afterwards, but I’m saying that that $2 changed my life. It really did!

In the audition room I pretended the judges were the crowd and I sang my heart out! I am guilty of not practicing the song I sang, because like I said, it was unplanned! So one day I got a text saying that I didn’t make it, I was a little bit disappointed I admit, but I figured, nah maybe it’s not my time yet.

Days later I received another text saying that I was in because someone dropped out! I was overwhelmed, I mean think about it, I had another chance! This was my big break!

So I started practicing with my friends, who were merciless. I owe it to them for being so hardcore. And we went through all the rehearsals until finally the night came! I didn’t know what to wear so I bought a pink shirt. I didn’t even know why.

I was up against strong competition. I mean everyone had their own unique style and to be honest, I was scared. My turn came and when the curtains opened and it was phenomenal! The idea of having your family and friends cheer you on while you sing is just priceless! I enjoyed every minute of it, I was scared, but who cares it was awesome! When I was done, my friends were chanting my name and It was a great feeling for me, I never knew this day would come!

I was nervous but I enjoyed every minute of it, I didn’t wanna leave the stage! Haha!

Backstage was a wreck, we were trying to calm each other down and we even sang a random Mexican song to relax and laugh haha! The moment for the results came and man we were all so nervous! It was announced wrongly though. I was second at first, but after some problem, they announced that I won!

I WON. I ACTUALLY WON! I couldn’t even explain how I felt, I was happy, shocked, proud, scared and speechless all at the same time!

I think this face sums up everything :

I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT! It was an incredible to achieve such a thing!

I loved every moment of it, the new friends I made, the rehearsals and all it was special. I like being in a room with people who love doing what you do, It feels great like you belong there and everyone feels like how you do!

I have to thank CASS for this, if it wasn’t for you guys I wouldn’t have achieved this! Thanks for the itouch too hehe. And to everyone who participated, YOU GUYS ROCK!

I can’t wait for the next CASS Idol! Excited to see the talent that CASS students have! 

A Sneak Peak Into The Life of An Intern!
By Shermaine Chong



The guest blogger of the week is Shermaine Chong! She is a Year 3 DMC Student who has a burning passion for Public Relations and is currently interning at Hill & Knowlton, read on to find out what internship life is like! :)



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Its been 9 weeks since I’ve been on internship! I don’t mean to sound horribly cliché but I can safely say, that “I’m lovin’ it!”. Every. Single. Moment.




You may wonder, why? What’s so incredible about my internship? One: I’m interning at Hill & Knowlton, one of the leading Public Relations (PR) companies in the world. And Two: I’m learning so much. Is it tough? Yes, and it can be really stressful at times. But every single minute is definitely worth it.

Of course, dragging yourself out of bed at 8am in the morning is not the norm for a media student like me. I fondly remember my days in school when lessons could start as late as 12 in the afternoon and end as early as 2 in the afternoon. Thus, waking up every day to go to work was no easy feat for me. This is my first take on an internship and my first take on a 9-6 daily job. Fortunately, I’m in an industry which I love so it’s not so bad for me.



Internship forces you to grow. In school, the lecturers are nice to you and guide you through your projects step by step. I was happy in my “Diploma-in-Media-and-Communication-Nest” and had no desire to leave school. Before I left for my internship, I told my lecturer, Ms Trudy Lim (who basically watched me grow over these 3 years), that I was “Too fat to leave the nest”.



Therefore, out I stumbled of the “nest” into the working world. Armed with the knowledge that I have gained for three years in the Diploma in Media and Communication, I pulled my boot straps and ventured into the some-what scary “real world”.

The work place is a scary environment. It’s a cold foreign box (especially if you’re in an office). Automatically, your shields are up and you will feel scared. You start to second guess yourself and wonder when it is really appropriate to speak. Hesitation becomes a constant on the first day. However, what I decided to do was to just “wing it”. I spoke up during meetings, provided feedback, did what I could. However, despite the positive outlook that I forced to instill within myself, “Sorry” became my favourite word. But the best is to learn from your mistakes, especially if you’re an Intern. You’re new and they shouldn’t expect you to be perfect. Of course, a positive work attitude is important and you should avoid making the same mistake twice.



And with great work, comes even greater rewards. After all, all work and no play makes all of us fat, boring and listless. I learnt a lot. And I got to party a lot! Being in the Pubic Relations industry, parties are quite the norm. There is every reason for a celebration. When I first joined the company, I was treated to a welcome lunch. And I thought “Wow, how nice of them!” and I have attended other “Welcome lunches” and “Farewell lunches”. I have attended blogger parties and Christmas parties, Media Parties etcetera, the list goes on. The best thing? There are more parties awaiting!



But apart from the occasional mistake, I’m glad to say that I’ve been trusted with more and more work. I was assigned to a mentor and had a supervisor who oversaw the projects and accounts that I handled. I was never “exploited” and never had to do “sai kang” or any form of “manual labour”. I didn’t even make coffee! Instead, I was tasked to write fact sheets, press releases, media pitch notes and do media monitoring!



Everything that I learnt as a student in the Diploma in Media and Communication contributed greatly to my day-to-day work. Technical terms weren’t foreign to me and I found out that the course actually prepared me greatly for duties in the work force. In fact, I knew more technical aspects of Public Relations as opposed to my intern colleagues at SIM, NTU and NUS! Interning has brought me great joy (and sorrow at times), but I can really safely say that with a Diploma in Media and Communication from Singapore Polytechnic, I am in no way disadvantaged. Everything in school had paid off magnificently and if you ask me now, the lecturers may be a tad underpaid. After all, in the rigorous course of DMC, they are more than lecturers. They are mentors, friends and sometimes parents. The multi-faceted role that they have undertaken in my educational career in Singapore Polytechnic has shaped me incredibly.

DMC 04 and our awesome lecturers

My internship stint hasn’t ended yet and I still have 3 more weeks to go but I can safely say that I will be quite sad to leave the company. After all, I have gained a wealth of practical experience in the industry of my choice, armed with a Diploma that has fully covered all bases in the Media industry and more. I am excited to enter into my next educational journey with a local university (hopefully) and I will be eternally grateful for the guidance and knowledge that the lecturers in the Diploma in Media and Communication have provided me with. What they have done, no one else can. Which course can provide you with practical knowledge and experience and allows you to have fun while doing it? I have grown in many ways. I am no longer the ditzy teenager that I was in year 1. I am now a young adult, poised and set to step into the work force with much gusto.