Happy New Year to everyone!

Happy New Year! Whats your resolution for the new year?

Grab some paper and a pencil to start setting your resolutions! Set something that is realistic, achievable and detailed. Start with taking a small step and then moving on to bigger ones. Keep motivating yourself to stick to it. After you have wrote out your resoultions, stick the paper to the mirror so that you will be reminded of it everyday!

Have an awesome year ahead!

Credits to NoOrdinaryLove for the brushes

MapleStory(Online VS Animation)

Main Character in Maplestory Animation

Hey everyone, its me, Hikaru, again. In this post I gonna share with you guys about the MapleStory that I have just watch recently. The animation has no connections with the online game at all. This story has a new twist and turn.

The animation story talks about a boy name Al, who lives in Maple Island. He wants to unite both human and monster races and save the World Tree, like what his father had done. However, a previous last battle with the evil boss led to a misunderstanding that humans are the culprit that destroy the World Tree.

Seeds of the World Tree are also scattered all over the world. Al trains hard everyday in order to get into one of the job classes and to be strong like the leaders of both Warrior and Archer classes. One day, the fairy that protects the World Tree came to Maple Island to seek help to save the World Tree as the Evil has taken all over the Victoria Island. With the help of all four classes leaders, Al begins his journey to Victoria Island to collect the seeds of the World Tree.

The difference between the animation and the game is that the monsters are able to talk and live almost like the humans. You will see the adorable little Orange Mushroom and Jr. Yeti speaking in the animation. The best part is that the Yeti is like an Angel that does all the healings (LOLZ).

The first Jr. Yeti when Al just arrive Victoria Island.

This is Kino which is one of Al closest friend.

This animation story teaches me good moral values like friendship and trust. I think that as we grow older, the lesser we get to trust people around us due to different life experiences. I think friendship and trust are important values we need to have to succeed in our academic, family and future career lives. Have fun watching this story!

Merry Christmas to All!

Enjoy the last few days of Year 2010, we will be adventuring into 2011 soon!



Merry Christmas! =D

A Christmas Gift to all! Enjoy!

Merry Christmas to everyone! This video was done by Xuan Hao from IMI and all the bloggers have contributed some thoughts about Christmas! Have a awesome new year! Enjoy the video!
Spread the love <3

A Piece of Christmas Art

Hi everyone, I'm Hikaru here.

Here's a small gift from me - a piece of art I designed specially for all IIT Staff and students.

Merry X'mas and Happy Holidays!. xD

*PS: the background should be in sky blue.

Last Christmas (Probably will be after you listen to this) by Jack S

Hey IMI readers and blogging team, first of all, Merry Christmas to ya all!

Secondly, through democracy (because I wasn't at the blogger meeting), the team has motivated
[forced] me to record myself, sigh, singing Last Christmas.

So please prepare for your Last Christmases as you listen to it. Merry Christmas to you all and to all free checkups at the ear clinic!

Wintry Reign of Tears - Mind Over Emotions.

Hey y'all! It's Gossip J with a special post to get everyone in the Christmas mood. I hope that you guys enjoy it, & to all other Bloggers, especially Ms. Maya, this is a surprise gift for everybody, even though I accidentally told M Blogger about it.

I sincerely wish that this story can inspire many, & the inspired many will continue to inspire others, & the cycle can just continue on. Alright, enough with the emotional rubbish, it's time to begin the story!

*WARNING: This story is written in a very unique style, conceived by your one & only Gossip J. It will be highly unconventional, & not in any way similar to any old story like well, any old story. Hehh.

It all began on a wintry Christmas Eve..

Cassandra was all alone, in her cottage, staring at the fire consume up the logs. Listening to the crackling of the logs, Cassandra looked peaceful. Almost in a zen state of rest.

*Two days prior to this*

Stacy, Cassandra's best friend: Cassandra, you are such a disappointment. How can you forget to order the turkey, we do it every year. What is the meaning of this?

Cassandra: I..

*tears well up in her eyes*

Stacy: That's it, I'm done spending Christmas with you every year. I'm going to go to Jennifer's party, it's probably more fun with her, Leighton & the rest anyway! I wonder why I waste my Christmas every year with such a dowdy person like you! I hate you!

*Stacy storms off*

*Cassandra is left crying solemnly, trudging through the snow back to her cottage, alone.*

Cassandra, from young, had only one friend. & that was Stacy, who ceased to be her friend just because she forgot to buy Stacy her favourite turkey - Which Cassandra didn't really like. Stacy was only friends with Cassandra because she lived alone, which allowed Stacy to be as wild as she liked & have a place to return to to smoke in, engage in underage drinking & occasionally bring a boyfriend home. Just manipulating Cassandra for her own needs. & Cassandra, in desperate need of a companion, blindly allowed Stacy to do as she wished, just because Stacy was the only who bothered to talk to her.

& now? Even Stacy doesn't talk to her any more. It almost was as if Cassandra had lost all meaning to life. She was preparing to commit suicide soon, just waiting for Christmas, her favourite time of the year to be over. She didn't want to despoil the favourite time of the year with her death, so she chose to wait.

So, on Christmas Eve, she decided, since Stacy wasn't there, she tried to enjoy it all by herself. Since it was probably the last few days of her life, she thought that she might as well enjoy it. Little did she know what would happen, that changed her life forever..

*Cassandra is sitting by the fire, listening to the crackling of the burning logs at her fireplace*

*a knock is heard on the door*

Cassandra thinking: Must be Stacy returning to collect her stuff. Sigh.

*Cassandra gets up to open the door*

*Cassandra opens the door*

*a loud pop is heard*

Bunch of Cassandra's classmates: MERRY CHRISTMAS CASSANDRA!

Cassandra, so touched that she was almost in tears: Oh.. Thank you.. Please come in & have some tea?

Classmates: Sure! We'd love to! & we finally get to talk to you! We were wondering how to approach you, & now, Christmas has allowed us to get together! We are so gonna be friends from now on! Oh yeah, screw that Stacy, she got arrested at that party & yeah, she's gonna be in rehab for a LONG time! You are free from that manipulative girl now Cassandra! It's like your best Christmas gift ever! Oh, & we all got presents for you! Hope you like them!

*at this point of time, Cassandra is so touched she's basically just murmuring thank you's & crying tears of joy*

*everyone converges & group hugs*

So, how does this make it such that mind is over emotions? Well, let me explain. You see, Cassandra was suicidal remember? But, she tried to enjoy herself, even if she wanted to kill herself off after a few days of fun.. But look at what her few days of fun morphed into!

I know this is a really bad example to show off what I'm trying to put across. Let me state it clearly now. You can be at your lowest point, depressed beyond a doubt. Undoubtedly, you will be really depressed, sad, & possibly even suicidal. Heck, even I get sad! It's only human!

& what can we do when we're sad? Try to be happy. It's really tough, I know. It's okay to feel depressed, to feel sad, to feel down, horrible et cetera. It's a Herculean task to feel better during these times. But what else can we do other than try? & if the going gets really tough, confide in a trustworthy friend! Getting all the things off your chest can help too!

This is a shoutout to all sad/depressed people reading this post: Have faith, stay happy, it's tough, I know, but remember, I'll always cheer you guys on, even if I don't know you. I'll stay blogging, & hopefully my posts can inspire y'all & help y'all feel better, even if it's that tiny bit. Constant vigilance okay! & if there's anything y'all might want to get advice on..

Follow me on Formspring & ask me questions!

Ask away, ask all you like. Just no questions on my identity, it's a secret I'll never tell remember?

http://formspring.me/GossipJ

HOLLER!

Alright, I'm signing out now. I'm typing this all the way from Hong Kong, just flew there today & am currently enjoying the hotel's free Wi-fi, high time I got some rest, really tired after the flight. Don't y'all just love me, I'm overseas, & I'm still blogging! I should receive an award for this! Nah, just joking. Ms. Maya, you owe me a present for being so hardworking okay! Nah, just joking too! Haha.

Merry Christmas in advance to everybody!

HOLLER!

XOXO, y'know y'love me.

Gossip J

Don't Be a Fool, Back Up Your Files.

Remember I talked about my MacBook Pro crashing? Well, yeah. It did, with all my work inside. Sigh. It was a lifetime's worth of work.. *sniffs*

I ended up crying for days because all the blood, sweat & tears I used up on my work almost felt like they were wasted. It's almost as if I got dumped. Well, to me, it would probably feel worse than being dumped - To all girls who may have a crush on me, no offence & may God bless your soul 'cause I'm too horrible to love. - & it's as if my world just crashed on me.

I was in agony. Melodramatic, y'might think. But just imagine this, fifty-plus novels you've written, countless poems, essays, reflections whatever + your current school work just disappears on you.

It was a really painful experience for me. Now, next time, if y'see me looking sad in school or something, offer to buy me a drink. I'll feel better. But for those of you who don't know who am I - My identity is secret remember? - then you are entitled to do nothing. Hehh.

Well well, so here's some tips on backing up your files!

1. External Hard Drive

Well, nowadays, external hard drives are really cheap, y'can get one of 500GB capacity at about 100SGD & you can just store all your files there. Thumbdrives can be used too, but y'have to get a few so I would recommend a hard drive.

2. Online File Backup

Windows Live Skydrive, Mediafire, 4shared & many other file hosting sites will be more than happy to let you backup your files online as it generates revenue for them. Just remember to password protect your files before you find out that your classmate has downloaded your work, put his/her name in & handed it up before you did.

3. Multiple Computers

Well, this is a pricey one. You can choose to have two computers like me, & store your files in both computers. & I didn't do it before, so I'm doing it now. Hehh.

A good way to transfer the files from computer A to computer b is definitely via USB storage devices, but there is also an interesting solution..

You can buy an iTwin!

What's that?

It's a thumbdrive-looking device than can be split into to, & via Wi-fi, it allows one to access the files from another computer as long as the other end of the iTwin is plugged in! Password protection is available too!

How awesome is that?

Well, that's all the tips I have for y'all today. Sorry if this post is a lil' boring, I'm blogging with a headache & fever, & I'm flying off tomorrow too. Y'all better thank me for being so noble & pray that I get well soon, or y'all might never get to read posts by me again. Not that y'all care, but, yeah. Hehh.

XOXO, y'know y'love me,

Gossip J

P.S: Merry early Christmas everyone! Stay tuned for our Christmas post, & a story by me!

Are They Really Safe?

Hey y'all!

First off, I'm terribly apologetic, this post has been delayed for quite a while ever since my MacBook Pro died on me - With a whole lifetime's worth of work. *sniff* Shall go into detail of this in the next post though.

Yeah. Anyway, back to the topic. This post is on the AIDS/HIV exhibition which complemented the AIDS/HIV talk.

While the talk focused on the disease itself, the exhibition focused on sexual intercourse & how safe are you from HIV/AIDS when you're engaging in the activity itself. It also featured testimonies from some young people who contracted the disease on how it altered their lives, forever.

Well, my take on the matter is, before you decide to have sex with anyone, you have to make sure that the other person is not infected with the disease, promiscuous & you have to find out about their sexual history too.

Why do I say this? Well, all these factors are those that directly affect the probability of your sexual experience contracting you the disease. Well, you obviously don't have sex with someone else that has HIV/AIDS right? Also, if the other person is one that has done it with many other people, then the probability of you contracting the disease is directly amplified too.

Therefore..

DON'T HAVE SEX UNTIL YOU'RE MARRIED!

Why do I say this? When you get married, of course, your spouse would probably have made sure that he/she is HIV/AIDS free before they actually decide that they want to woo you & stay with you for life. Also, it is the moral responsibility of a husband/wife to make sure the person they want to stay with for life don't catch HIV/AIDS right?

This can also help to reduce the incidences of teenage pregnancy, or the contraction of other STDs such as Syphilis, Gonorrhoea et cetera. Sex is not something to be taken lightly, & should only be performed with a person you are really in love in, & not because you desire another person.

Please, don't have sex with just anyone. Even if you are your partner's, well, only partner, think twice. It's a decision that sticks with you for life. & yeah, it's a choice that you cannot undo. You might end up regretting it for life.

Well, yeah, that's all I have for y'all today! Hope that this post can let everyone know more about sex, HIV/AIDS & what to or not to do.

XOXO, y'know y'love me.

Gossip J

P.S: Here are some pictures!

One of the enthralling boards that showcase information at the exhibition.

Well, to me, the title of this board is really stupid, of course you should care, do you want to get HIV/AIDS?!

Look! Even lecturers need to know more?! Haha.

Whoa, now exhibitions have morphed into interactive ones? Why don't we just use iPhones next, instead of cardboard? *thumbs up*

Last but not least...

Another beautiful board.

HIV/AIDS? No, I Won't Get It.

Hey y'all!

It's been a while~

I know I shouldn't have kept you waiting~

But I'm here now~

Let me Break the Ice! Jaiden's back! People, I'm terribly apologetic that I've been out of business for so long, have had a few rough weeks with my health, but don't worry, now I'm back, better than before!

Anyway, let me get down to this post straight away, shan't waste any more time putting redundant bits of information about myself when y'all probably are reading the post FOR the post, not random bits & pieces about the author.

On the 18th of November, TP invited a guest speaker Mr. Adrian Yow from the Yong-en Care Centre to give a speech about HIV/AIDS to educate the students more on this commonly-known yet oft-misinterpreted & misunderstood virus/disease.

Basically, the talk highlighted the dangers of contracting AIDS & how easy can one contract AIDS. Well, technically, if talks like these have to be given to maturing adults, it just goes to show that people, are generally ignorant about AIDS which therefore caused a stimulus for talks like these to be given. Sure enough, most people probably even KNOW about the dangers of getting AIDS, but choose to IGNORE it. Therefore, measures have to be taken to curb this rampant problem that has plagued society so much, & what's an effective solution to keep this problem in check?

Educate the masses from young so that it can be passed down generations. Therefore, talks like these give young people a head-up on what dangers are there out in the world & how to avoid this dangers, & what did this talk broach on? HIV/AIDS.

Also, what's a Gossip J post without a reflection from yours truly?

Let me start. The high occurrence of AIDS patients, ironically, can be reduced by a very rudimentary measure. That is sex education. Nowadays, more & more young people are starting to take sexual intercourse very lightly, more or less influenced by mass media & the general rampancy of pornography on the Internet.

It's a highly melancholic happening how people, just go ahead & have sex without thinking, & merely succumb to their temptations. At the end of the day, whatever you do, anything you do is up to your own choice. Sure, your choice may or may not be influenced, but it is still up to you to make your own choice eventually. No one can make it for you.

Hence, people, just have your own opinions & stick to them! You don't just go around & have sex with people just because you find them really physically attractive or just do it because you people feel like it! It is a permanent decision that will stick with you for life, having sex or not, & who you want to have sex with.

It's a tough choice. Make a wise one. & that's my reflection on having sex.

Alright, that's all I have for you in this post. Stay tuned for more of me alright? I'm back, & there's a whole arsenal of bombastic posts that I can unleash upon y'all!

XOXO, y'know y'love me - & missed me.

Also, who I really am?

My identity, shall be a secret I'll never tell.

Gossip J

P.S: Here are the pictures!

Here's a picture of Mr. Andrew Yow & our very own Ms. Farida!

Whoa, the talk was so interesting the whole LT was filled! You don't even see this much people in lectures usually!

Whoa, & y'all even concentrate more on this talk than your lectures! How do y'all still manage to do well at school! *takes hat off to y'all*

Enrichment Talk - Stress Talk: Your Breaking Point

Managing your stress level is one important key skill you need to learn in life. It can determine whether the work/projects/assignments you hand in is awesome to the point of awesomeness or just plain bad that no one wants to read.

Hi fellow readers, it is me, Sheldon~! I have been one of the lucky few to be selected to go for the Stress Talk: “Your Breaking Point” by Ms Dilys. In the talk, I have learned that stress is normal and there are many categories of stress found. Stress comes in many forms and it can be broken down into the simplest form which is Family, School, Friends, Financial and Fashion.

Stress can get you in many ways; it can affect your body, your thoughts and your behaviour! If you do not handle your stress level well till it reaches the point where the Tornado meets the Volcano with strong winds, then it will result in a huge explosion which can be potentially lethal. Such fatal effects of stress will manifest in ways such as....

Body:
Migraine
Back Pain
Insomnia
Stomach Pain

Thoughts:
Anxiety
Worrying
Irritability
Lack of Focus
Forgetfulness

Behavior:
Over/Under Eating
Social Withdrawal
Crying Spells
Relationship Conflicts
Angry Outburst

We were given some tips on how to solve the stress that is building inside us. One of the ways to easily lower down your stress is to increase your self-esteem level.

How to increase our self-esteem...

Tip one: Your Strengths
Listing down ten things that you are proud of what you have accomplished.
For me, I am proud that I am chosen to be one of the writers for this awesome blog! If we give credit to our strength, our self-esteem level will go up. Always think about what we are good at and always remind ourselves about our strengths.

Tip two: Overcome Your Weakness
List down five things that you are not good at, on different pieces of paper. Try converting it from negative to positive.
For me, I am scared that “my English isn’t up to par” (I am selected to be a writer in this blog. HOW!?). I changed it to positive way, “I want to improve my English”.

Tip three: You Are Unique
Sign your name on a piece of paper
Take a look at your friend’s signature next time, is it the same?
For me, even though I know that my hand writing is horrendous. I am proud to say that I am awesome in my own ways and no one else is like me. For example, I am good at cheering up my friends when they are upset =D.

Audience Reflection:

"I have learnt that everyone is special and unique. So you do not have to have a low self-esteem as if you are
not good in a particular thing, you will surely be good in something else"
- by Shalom Quek Xian Lun, C245, IMI

"I learnt more about myself, my weaknesses and strengths. I will work on my weaknesses and
try to be a better person"
- by Javier Ang Zheng Yu, C233, CDS

"I learnt how to better my stress, realise my stress points and work on it to be a more relaxed
and happy person"
- by Alex Ng Guorui, C224, MWC

"I feel that through this talk, I get to know that we not only have to understand ourselves but also to understand the others personality as well"
– by Hikaru, C234, GET

Personal Reflection:
I am honoured to be chosen for this talk and I have learned many things which are going to be so helpful in my life. Above all, I have learnt to love myself and be proud of who I am as I am uniquely who I am. I need to love and take care of myself before I can love and take care of others. I have also learnt to love this job as a blogger so that I do not feel stress doing it! I do hope you love the way I blog. Have a great day fellow awesome readers!


Apparently, stress talk makes one more attentive and happy.


Chilling in the lecture hall.

The Official IMI page!

Hey guys! My MP group is developing the official IMI page on Facebook! So please LIKE it and stay tuned for updates on the IMI page! It's gonna be smashing!

And for all of you O level grads who are interested, 'LIKE' IMI on Facebook and join the conversation!

http://facebook.com/InteractiveMediaInformatics

Game Tech for this Generation by Jack S

Hello readers, it’s me, Mr. Jack S. again, here with some more stuff for you to read, consider about and then go out and buy and spend 10 hours with it. That’s right, more games.

As you all already know, the Wii has revolutionised the way games are now sold on the market, attracting the younger crowd with more family friendly games like Carnival Games and the Nintendo produced Wii titles like Wii sports, Wii move, Wii Music and recently released Wii party. Nintendo sales have never been better, and they still begin to sell all over the world, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.

Sony and Microsoft, although originally mocking the Wii as a ‘fad’ and a ‘cheap toy’ have now turned 180 after seeing the market and have sent forth their offerings onto the world of casual gamers: The Microsoft Kinect and the Playstation Move.

The Microsoft Kinect has been touted as the new way to play games, no remote, and no wireless. It’s just you and a camera. That’s right, the Kinect is a motion capture device that will see your movements through the camera and let you play the games from there. From dancing to fighting, this is a new innovation that has not seen any predecessors. (Apart from the Playstation Eye) No more cumbersome controls and constant battery changes, this is the future in your living room, and you’re playing your games with it.

The Playstation Move is a safer approach to the gamers. Rather than try to make something new that could potentially fail, they decided to refine the shortcomings of the Wii. Motion sensor is now two tiered: Using motion capture via a camera of the remote controls and the movements of the controls themselves, utilising the tech from both Nintendo and Microsoft. They also have a wider range of games coming out for it, and this seems to be a promising show from the heads of Sony as it will also affect future gamers everywhere.

Probably you’re wondering, what Nintendo is going to do to retort to these obviously attacks to the Wii motion sensor approach to games. Well, they’re not. Instead of trying to fight in a 3 way tango, they decided to take the market that is everywhere: the Handhelds, with something that has never been seen before, 3D handheld without the glasses. Yes, you did read that right, 3D without any red and blue glasses.

The 3DS, Nintendo’s secret ace in the hole in the gamers war, this is really nothing like the world has seen before. A handheld that will propel 3D games, using technology from the science books that let you sees a 3D image without glasses. Not only that, it has cameras, nice quality screens, the ability to tweak the 3D and much, much more, there are no words for this. This is the gaming revolution at its best, breaking the glass ceiling and rising to new heights in the technocratic society.

One thing is sure: Games are once again changing for the better, and you can only expect one place games are going to go, and that’s up. Till next time, have fun, and cheers.

An Enriching Internship Experience

By: Renga Murthi, IMI Senior
SIP company - Optimatic Pte Ltd
Attachment period : July - October 2010

Renga, (2nd from left at the back row), with his team members

Smiles of Success - Work Well Done!

Success always comes with hard work!

I have inevitably come to the end of my Internship. As much as I would want to spend as much time as I can with my colleagues at E27 but of course, the next leg of our Diploma studies is awaiting - Major Project. E27 is under the care of my SIP company Optimatic Pte Ltd.

I would very much say that I had quite of the best time with E27. As an events and social media-centric company that aims at Web innovation in Asia, E27 has come a long way from holding talks and seminars to holding the very recent - Asia's Largest tech Conference, Accelerate 2010.

Accelerate 2010, recognized as Asia's Largest Tech Conference, was done for the first time in Singapore, at the Suntec City Conventions and Exhibitions Centre. Co-organized with SingTel, a major key player with over 3 million user-strong market in Asia Pacific, the conference was a huge success among the major market players in the tech and Innovation field, also seeing attendees such as Developers, Innovators, Business people and Research Institutions.

As an Events Executive with E27, I handled many aspects of the conference, from maintaining the event website for the conference, to arranging Accommodation and other assistance for Speakers of the conference, and also crafting Sponsorship and Exhibitors Package for the conference.

Check out these websites for more details :
-E27 website >E27 – Web Innovation in Asia
-Event Website >Accelerate 2010

Maintaining the website is not much of an issue at all, as we all have learnt about websites and HTML and PHP etc. The challenge came in when I was required to perform tasks which was not taught in school - how to network with delegates, how to liaise with speakers and other guests to the conference, how to arrange for accommodation and transportation, who are the suppliers etc.

However, there wasn't really anyone to guide me along the way. Nevertheless, the work experiences from my previous company as an Event Coordinator gave me the relevant knowledge and know-hows to perform these tasks.

Of course there should always be challenges for us, otherwise life would get boring at times. So without much hesitation, I took up the job of crafting sponsorship and exhibitors packages for the conference. These scopes require a good knowledge of profit and loss when making considerations for the package amounts, such as $100,000.

And after the exhibitors were confirmed, they were put under my handling to liaise with them and arrange for their logistics requirements for the conference. As part of my handling, I had given several walk-through sessions for these Exhibitors to familiarize themselves with the specific venues of the conference within Suntec. I also did the allocation of exhibiting spaces for my exhibitors and sponsors.

And finally, before we knew it, it was the day of the Conference in Suntec! Of course we were all anxious and excited as well, to see how the conference being held for the first time in Singapore, goes. And again, before we knew it, the 2-day conference was over! We were all very busy during the conference. As I was in the Organizing Committee of Accelerate 2010 conference, I was required to oversee several aspects of the conference such as my Exhibitors as well as my Manpower for assistance. So I was just running around and making sure everything was running smooth for my sponsors and exhibitors and also ensure that my manpower is wisely utilized.

Being part of E27 and being in the Organizing Committee of Accelerate 2010 has brought upon many opportunities for me especially in this conference. Networking with top Keynote Speakers as well as other international delegates for the event was really something I really enjoyed. Talking with these people really enlightened me with much knowledge of the Tech and Media field as well as Business Startups and Incubation. It was also good that these guys actually recognized me from my previous conference - Echelon 2010.

It was also a pleasure working closely with SingTel as the main organizers of Accelerate 2010. Working with fellow corporate is something I have always wanted to do.

Overall, the Asia's Largest Tech Conference was a huge success with more than 2000 attendees in total turnover. It was also a huge success for us, the Organizing Committee for having worked without sleep and food several times and putting in so much of hard work. It was indeed a rewarding experience!

Thinking back, I see a lot of changes in me compared to before going for my internship. I have learnt the ways of corporate communications as well as working with Corporate. I have picked up the skills and knowledge of the Events and Conference Management field. I have also enlightened myself with the facts of the tech and Media market out in the world.

Ask me if I am ready to go out and start work in this sector - my answer would be a Yes of course. While I might not be perfect, but I did my best and accomplished what I wanted while being in E27 and having done my yet, another biggest project - SingTel Accelerate 2010.

All in all, I really enjoyed my time and I still do remain as a Part-time employee of E27, still helping them to coordinate other smaller-scale events.

Now, wouldn't you want to accomplish what you wanted to do, out in the working world? Go for it! All the best!

IND Graduates - Part Three of Three

Hey y’all! Jaiden here once again! This is the last part – Sadly.. *sniffs* - of our coverage of the IND graduates & their reflections.

This last reflection is from IND graduate, Eugene Neo.

Reflection from Eugene Neo:

Needless to say, my most memorable experience in IND is being able to know a bunch of good friends and classmates. We work together, play together, eat together, hang out together and undertake projects together. Doing project work that requires grouping with other classmates certainly performed its task in helping us to bond. The memorable APEL – Applied Principles of Effective Living - class also played a part. Also, the fun-loving lecturers helped in creating a very beautiful experience in my poly life.

Although it's sad to say the programming languages and programs that we have been taught in school is rather different from what the industry is using, I feel that IND actually prepared us for the real world by imparting skills that are required in the industry like communication skills and allowing us to have valuable experiences from internship and lecturers sharing their experience.

If you want to go university, go to a JC. That is like the easiest route to university in my opinion. But well, even though I forsook JC for a polytechnic even though my aim never changed, it is to get into university. So for those of you, who have an aim to go to university like me, play hard! And work harder! Aim for a diploma with merit! It will open up a lot of door in university!

There is much more stress and it is very fast paced. It will be quite a struggle to keep up even if you are very good in your polytechnic life. It is like knowledge bombardment everyday.

Weekdays are all tutorials, labs and lectures in your mind every hour.

There are computing in NUS or computer science or engineering in NTU. That will be like the mainstream degree for it diploma although I know a friend who was from IND who went to a business course in NUS.

Well, wasn’t that interesting? We’ve come a long way. I hope that this coverage is useful for y’all aspiring IMI students out there!

& wow, even this post, the content corroborates with the other posts. Therefore, it is safe to say that no matter what you do, just work hard. Put effort into everything you do, & before y'know it, the fruits of your labour will be borne.

Thank you Marcus, Guan Hong & Eugene for sharing your marvelous experiences in IND & TP itself!

There, those were three very interesting, informative & summative reflections of how TP & IND – now IMI – is like. Get the urge to join this big family of TP yet?

Alright, it’s time for me to go off.

Y’know y’love me, XOXO.

Gossip J, Your source for all information IMI related, & more.

Sheldon - Connecting with Friends with Formspring

M Blogger is back in action and no, he hasn't gone crazy yet but he is still on the fringe of going insane with his erupting passion for FAME. Today, the awesome M Blogger is going to show you a platform where you can answer the questions which your fans are dying to know. How can this be done? You may ask. It is simple! There is a website called formspring which allows you to answer questions.

What is Formspring? It is a website which allows its users to set up a profile page whereby anybody can ask the users questions. After answering the question, the question together with the answer will be posted to the user's profile page.



Features
Privacy setting:
You are able to set certain privacy setting.
1st : Allow anonymous questions on your profile.
2nd : Allow anonymous questions, but only from people who are logged in.
3rd : Don't allow any anonymous questions.
If you don't want to have creepy people asking you weird questions, number 3 is the best choice.
If you want to make sure that the person you blocked will not be able to ask you anonymously, number 2 is the way to go.
If you want to make sure that you get proper questions, number 3 is the ideal choice since you are able to block people who ask you stupid/dumb questions and they won't be able to harass you anymore.

Social Networking:
You are able to connect Formspring to your social network accounts. So, whenever you answer a question, they will be posted to the selected social websites and people will see them, thus on the route to FAME. You are able to select Facebook, MySpace and Twitter as options.

Blogs:
You are also able to connect Formspring to your blogs and whenever you answer them, they will be posted to your blogs and your loyal readers will be able to see them and know more about you. You are able to select Blogger, Tumblr and Wordpress as options.

Widgets:
You are able to embed a widget from formspring to your blog so your readers will be able to ask you questions from your blog itself, combined with the social networking and blog features. Overtime, you will become famous. However, do remember that this alone can't make you famous. You still have to post quality content to attract people to your blog.

All this wonderful features is what enticed me to use Formspring, I am able to connect to many of my real life friends and ask them question that I don't know about them and learn new things about their daily life. Formspring is fun and everyday without fail I will check Formspring to see if I have any questions to answer.

So hey! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS WAITING FOR? Join me, M flaming blogger, on our conquest to achieve fame by letting people know more about us. The answers of FAME will guide you through.

Stay on the look out for my next erupting post, you have to and you will be in awe by my awesomeness. =D Remember to bookmark this blog for more insanity!

Signing off, the M blogger
P.S if you want to know what M means!? Keep guessing.

Worldskills Singapore 2010 Qualifying Round Experience

 The team comprising of Junming, Alisha and Yu Ling before competition

Worldskills Competition Passes

Hello readers!

I'm Yu Ling from Year 2 of Interactive Media Informatics. So the reason I'm blogging is because I participated in Worldskills Qualifying Round 2010 - Web Design. The results have been just announced, and all 3 students representing Informatics & IT School have successfully made it into the finals!

Firstly I will share with you what's Worldskills is about. WorldSkills International is open to agencies or bodies which have a responsibility for promoting vocational education and training in their respective countries/regions.

It is held every two years and there are many and diversed categories ranging from web design, software applications to even cooking and caring. The qualifying rounds and finals are held by individual countries and the winner of each category will represent their country in competing on the international stage, in this case, London 2011.

For the category I participated in, Web Design, we had to spend 8 hours to design a website from scratch with functionaility such as login, register, posting of messages etc. The website will be like a portal or forum, something that is taught in our diploma in the subject Web Application Development.

The school provided us with training for about 2-3 months. We learnt coding languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP. Training had been a tough process as it required a lot of patience and committment. But neverthless it was a very enriching learning experience and we had benefited much from it.

On behalf of the team, I thank our lecturers who have taught us everything they know to equip us with the neccessary skills for the competition. The journey has been long and tedious, but the effort has been worth it.

To all the juniors and freshman, you can be part of this if you dare to take up the challenge! It will be a tough yet enriching journey, but the effort will be worth it!

And now that we have successfully made it into the finals, we will continue training and work hard to go to London 2011!

IND Graduates- Part Two of Three

Hey y’all! Jaiden here again! This is part two of our posts on the IND graduates & their reflections!

The reflection showcased today is from IND graduate, Guan Hong.

Reflection from Guan Hong:

The most memorable experience that I had in IND was probably the first week of school in IND. I could feel that the dreadful stress of the ‘O’ Levels were over and I could finally study something that I enjoy.

Throughout the course in IND, I had several opportunities to hone both my technical and creative skills. It definitely has prepared me for my future career in many ways. The special thing about IND compared to the other IT courses is that it allows us to explore not just the technical aspect of computing, but also to realise the creativity in all of us. In this way, we could find out what we truly would enjoy to do and further on it.

If all a student wants is to get a degree, then the mission is simple - be a GPA aimer. As long as your GPA is high enough, you could easily get into university. However, if the student doesn't believe in spending 90% of his time on academic studies and prefers hands-on, I think probably getting into a liberal school that also offers a decent degree is more ideal.

The difference between university and polytechnic is huge. In polytechnic, the pace was a lot more digestible compared to the lessons being conducted in university, at NUS at least. A lot of independent learning is also required. The workload is definitely many times heavier than polytechnic. In short, university is surely not a playground, especially for those who wish to do more than just academic studies in their life.

Generally, life in university is hectic and tough. This is just my opinion though. Probably the minority elites would think otherwise.

While many IND students, including myself, prefer to go into a more creative aspect of computing, it seems many still ended up in very technical computing courses in university. Although IND and IMI are courses under the umbrella of IT school, it does not restrict us to only the IT related majors in university. A few of my friends and myself are victims of this ignorance and it is totally a great pain in our ass. I believe IMI and IND students could explore other majors in university too. As mentioned above, this is the unique thing about IND and IMI students - We are given a chance to explore on both the technical and creative aspects of computing.

Thank you Guan Hong for this wonderfully precinct summation of how TP & IMI is like! Does this inspire any one out there to join us here in TP?

One thing I noticed from this reflection of Guan Hong that corroborates with Marcus’s reflection is that university life is hectic. Therefore, my point still stands. One has to work hard to be able to achieve their goals. Without hard work, nothing will be achieved.

Alright, time for me to sign out.

Y’know y’love me, XOXO.

Gossip J, Your source for all information IMI related, & more.

IND Graduates - Part One of Three

Hey y’all!

Jaiden here again! This is part one of three posts that link the reflections of three IND – That’s what IMI was formerly known as! – graduates about the course itself, & how the course affected, & helped them in their lives.

This reflection today is from IND graduate Marcus Su.

Reflection from Marcus Su:

My most memorable experience in IND was during my final year when I was involved in several projects simultaneously. At that time, I was working on an educational multiplayer intranet game, a mobile voting application and my major project, a online game for Ministry of Finance. I would admit that the stress was tremendous, but it gave me great exposure and opportunity to put my skills to good use. I also saw how many of my lecturers never fail to help me in terms of mentorship.

Temasek Polytechnic's Infomatics and IT School focused on building the student's ability to seek new knowledge and skills as an independent learner, and providing sufficient technical and presentation skills to kick start a career in the IT industry. Students would be able to get an entry level IT job after graduating from the diploma, but given the ever-changing nature of our field of study, we need to constantly upgrade our skill set and keep up with the times in order to be competitive. Therefore, it really depends a lot on the attitude of the student.

To be more competitive especially with the majority of university students being from Junior Colleges, do pick up more advanced Mathematics not covered in TP, such as Calculus, on your own free time. The other aspect to work on would be to learn to be flexible and proactive.

In university, technical skills are considered a given and thus they are looking more of the ability to achieve higher order thinking. It is no longer only about facts and figures, but knowing how and when to apply our skills on what. We are given a lot of power in shaping our own learning as well. But as the saying goes, great power comes great responsibilities. It is a fast-paced, self-directed and deep learning experience. Students can choose to go into multimedia or computer science courses.

Thank you Marcus for that marvellously informative reflection. Let’s hope that this information will be relevant to any of you aspiring IMI students out there!

My pick out of this whole assortment of meats is that it does not really matter whether you go to a polytechnic or junior college to go to university, it merely requires a lot of effort to be put in & that you stay focused on your eventual goal of going to university for your degree.

As Mad Eye Moody would say, constance vigilance!

Y’know y’love me, XOXO.

Gossip J, Your source for all information IMI related, & more.

How to Manage Both Finances & School

Seriously, in the all the seriousness of reality, it remains evident that cash is indeed, important. Without cash, you will not be able to purchase simple things like clothes or food, which are by & by basic necessities.

Well, even though one could be schooling, it doesn’t mean that one has to focus on studies all the time. One could also take baby steps to learn how to manage their finances. This is an important skill for everyone as eventually, one must learn how to manage their own finances.

There are a few methods in which one could achieve this, either by starting up a simple online business, or taking up a part-time job. Both methods have their pros & cons, let me explain.

Part-time job:

Pros:

• Stable pay
• Fixed working hours

Cons:

• Work time may be inflexible & clash with timetables
• Work may be too tiring if manual labour is included - & this is most if not of all of the time.

Online business:

Pros:

• Flexible hours
• At own time, own discretion

Cons:

• Credit/debit card required
• Lots of travelling needed to do sales or posting

Those are just some of the general pros & cons. I could go on for ages, but I won’t let out all my trade secrets, will I?

Piece of advice though, if y’wanna earn money, then you just have to be patient, hardworking & meticulous. This can apply to school too. In the very end, your efforts will be rewarded. It just takes time, therefore patience has to be required in achieving success in learning how to juggle your time.

Alright, that’s all for now. Will do up a post again soon, having a very hard time over here. Don’t have to pity me, if you see me on the street, just buy me a new cardigan & you’ll make my day! Hint: I love those from River Island!

Y’know y’love me, XOXO.

Gossip J

Games = Free $$$ by Jack S

Hi everyone, my name is Jack S. I’m going to be a guest writer for this awesome IMI blog, so be prepared to read my nonsense every now and then.

I want to start this article off with a quick question: Who wants free money? Ok, put your hands down. It’s not as hard as you think, because there are many ways to get it, and I’m here to highlight to you one very fun and enjoyable way, through online Flash games.

The world of online flash games has exploded onto the scene since the year 2000, with more than hundreds and thousands of sites dedicated to these little 5 minute to 5 hour games, in various languages and countries. You’ve all probably played it once or twice or a few billion times before, and more often than not wasting your time on it.

So you ask me: Jack, how can I make money from something as time wasting as this? Well, keep your pants on, I’m getting to it.

Well, if you’re an uber gamer, some websites reward their players with cash for a job well done. You need to find tournaments and beat out the others. Just thrash them at simple mouse clicking or button mashing and get money. The best part, you earn it by playing games. Simple, isn’t it?

But I hear you programmers and artist out there, who spend more time looking at the game play and art style rather than the fact you’ve died 500 times at Level 1. Well, if you can’t play them, you can make them.

All you need to do is make your own flash game, using appropriate tools like Adobe Flash. Make it fun, innovative and interesting; no one wants to play another Pong remake in 2010. After that, submit it to a flash game appropriate site, and cross your fingers.

If you’re lucky, maybe the site will feature your game. You’ll get money if it’s a top pick and from sponsors who want to advertise on your game. If the players think its good enough, they’ll give you some tips for your tip jar, provided you have one. Best of all, if it’s featured, your game will receive full recognition and fame!!! But if it doesn’t, you can always try again.

So get on your laptops and PC/Mac now and start getting cash from having fun! This is Jack S, signing out.

P.S.: Here's a few links to get you guys started:

http://www.newgrounds.com http://www.kongregate.com
http://www.flash-game-design.com/

IMI Publicity: An Amazing Experience With Students of Greenview Secondary

Hi awesome people, today, students from Greenview Secondary School came to Temasek Polytechnic, School of Informatics & IT, to learn more about the courses that are offered. We, Sheldon and Raine of the IMI blogger team, joined in the fun to promote our awesome Diploma in IMI to the potential students.

Our lecturer, Ms Faridah, welcomed the students and gave them highlight of the wonders of what the Diploma in Interactive Media Informatics can offer to potential students. She then demonstrated student projects which utilised current sophisticated technology such as Maya, Flash, Adobe Photoshop and After Effects.

Students were then treated to an exciting hands-on activitiy on how to edit photos using Adobe Photoshop. Junior IMI student Nicholas Leong who was from Greenview Secondary had the opportunity to demonstrate his skills he had learnt from IMI by teaching our potential students how to use selected features of Photoshop to edit photos of celebrity Justin Bieber and Rihanna which include changing the hair, eye colours and manipulate their facial features.

The session ended on a positive note with interesting sharing sessions of IMI students' (Freshies, Junior and Senior) experiences in the course who were also the helpers for this session. Our guest students from Greenview listened attentively with sparkles in their eyes as our IMI students shared what they feel about IMI and why they joined IMI. One of the students said that he had joined IMI because he wanted to explore into the depths of how animation comes about and all the wonders of the internet technology in existence. Indeed this was the best part of the event which is most memorable and heartfelt moment for all present.

Below are the quotations from the students who shared their wonderful and meaningul IMI experiences:

"The reason why I joined this course is because I am interested in 3D animation and learning how to make wonderful effects. So currently I learned how to make websites and create my own self-promotional kit." said Fauzan Khan, IMI Freshman.

"I join IMI because i was interested in learning 3D. Maybe in the future with the skills I acquire from this course, I plan to join Lucasfilm or Pixar." Nicholas Leong, IMI Junior student.

Below are the photos which we had taken on this event:

The students who are coming in for an awesome talk about IMI from our lecturer

Our lecturer, Ms Faridah, giving an introduction to the students on IMI via our awesome IMI blog.

Our potential students intently and attentively listening to the IMI briefing (:

Time for some hands on activites...

One of the IMI seniors, Jingle, helping the students out during the hands-on activity

Another senior, IVy, helping the students out

IMI Freshie, Fauzan, helping the student

IMI Freshie, Jonas, lending a hand to the young ladies from Greenview Secondary

A Greenview student and his masterpiece...

Curious young men from Greenview Secondary engrossed with editing the photos given to them

The freshie helper, Fauzan Khan, who shared his IMI experience

The junior helper, Nicholas Leong, shared his goal to join LucasFilm after graduating from IMI

A group photo of the helpers