JAPHETH LIM.COM » Malaysia

5 Advices for Young People to survive in this 21st century.

Japheth Lim — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 16:28:45 +0000

And yes let’s face the fact that, the moment you have graduated or you hit your 20s, this is it, welcome to the “battlefield”. I always consider 20s as the most exciting stage of finding yourself in the working world , and from 30s onwards i suppose it’s the start of your family while also advancing your career already by that time. Well of course i do not hold the experience to be a guru in this matter (and hoping 5 years after this i will look back at this and reevaluate it) , but these are just my thoughts on how the ever fast changing world will affect young people like us in the 20s in the search for our career and life.

I am writing this because i think that our current education system in Malaysia does not prepare us for anything better in the working world, be it academically or mentally. If we are expecting to finish our university degree life just to get that piece of certificate and start applying job and mass applying for all companies and looking for the highest pay that could ever offer to you, yes, you could, but i doubt you will survive happily for the next 5 years climbing the corporate ladder.. I personally see how the working world today is so different from the previous generation. Whether you are a fresh grad or even just fresh school leaver, the working world today is no longer the same like 30 or 40 years ago during our parent’s 20s then. Here’s why:

The career paths today are changing fast, and many new jobs are not defined by the old conventional working world, and many job descriptions are not said by the degree certificates you hold or whatsoever. Today’s jobs pay rate is no longer like what our parents will tell us that only professional jobs can earn big bucks, in fact professional line such as Architects and Lawyers is a long stretch career that you only start earning the big bucks when you hold professional title in the mid 30s or 40s.

Because all it matters is your ideas and knowledge, then to start off an entrepreneurship. It is true that if anyone is hardworking enough, especially with the edge of information technology today, you can find opportunities so easily, or perhaps by knowing what demands the working world will have in the next 5 years, new lines such as e commerce and e mobile applications is the latest pool of exciting jobs comprising mostly youths. In fact, if you have any good ideas or innovation, i don’t think it’s hard to get start up investment into your business, and people don’t look at your certificates at all, at this point of time, but your passion in the ideas you have.

Most businessmen and entrepreneurs will be talking about adaptation, on how to position their company brand into the ever changing facade of market world. I will put it the same here, everyone carries a brand, their ‘own brand’, and all it matters is how you sell yourself to people, how you brand your skills and experience at the right time and right place. To adapt to the working world is to able to change your seat to an entire new career line and unlearn & relearn what you know because you know that is your potential field. With this age of rapid changing media and interaction, you can expect many changes within a short period and it is only those who can’t react in time will not survive for themselves.

We all have been saying about good attitude development, well be it on however you define it that suits your organizational behavior, but Aptitude matters as much as that, which is the ability to learn a component of a competency to do a certain kind of work at a certain level. Well not everyone that is with a good attitude can have a good aptitude, different people has abilities in different areas that determine their aptitude. It’s best if you are someone that comes together with couple of skills, be it web design or photography or creative arts, any under great career path, never doubt that you need some day to day skills to help you with your living or work, or with the ability to speak 2 or 3 more other languages fluently, that beats a lot when it comes to resume screening, especially for big MNCs. So yes focus on the development of skills, have a good aptitude.

Yes you are in the generation of social media, with so many networking events going on from day to day, you will soon realize that many will come and go easily within weeks or months, i am not talking only for the working world but especially if you are a youth who attends a lot of public forums and conferences, you have to start bearing in mind of managing your network rather than treating everyone as your friend, you could, but time will tell you well soon, friends stay on then, and it is usually just countable by your hand or both hands as you start working.

Education is Not (all the time) the Answer for Career. And in the 21st century today, whether you are attending a university or not, or whatever diploma or certificates you have. I personally think you can prove yourself much more better compared to a 3 years business course graduate if you spend the 3 years learning yourself, i mean for the fact that lecturers grab their notes from Google, why on earth are we in university then. Yes some courses (back to reality) we need the certificates to secure an interview if you are in the professional line. I am speaking this for example of my current career in the green building industry where you don’t have any education degree to prepare you for this career line, and what i learn in this 3 or 4 months is like what i learn in 2 years.

So yes sometimes you can even learn more from going into working world, and the point i am making here is that if you are going to University make sure it is more than the urge of earning your certificate at the end of the day. Because at this 21st century, i think it’s quite common for people to already secure jobs while they are in university, not because of their results only but because of them proving themselves worth by making the extra mile from establishing start ups or even challenging their lecturers in terms of research and academic knowledge. University is a platform to prove yourself worthy much more than the certificate.

And yes that’s just my ramblings and 5 advices to the fresh graduates today. It can be frustrating when you see graduates writing in resumes and unsure if they really want that job in the first place, it is not about the result but it’s about how you want to present yourself to show that you, not your results, are worthy for the job. What matters in climbing the corporate ladder today is not on your results only but leadership and ideas and lastly, passion.

Hari Kebangkitan Rakyat Malaysia #HKR112 – The Magnificent Sight of Malaysian Spirit

Japheth Lim — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 18:05:08 +0000

Never there was any scene that i have seen my country’s people being so united, only in rallies like this and when it comes to standing together and finding our own space to express our dissatisfaction where the mainstream media couldn’t do so. I never had in mind that we will be heading towards the historical Independence Stadium, where during 1957, 55 years ago, this was the very place that officiated our independence. And here we are again, because we want a new independence from everything we faced today, which are mostly unsaid in the public media and this is one of the few ways for us to express it.

So it is the People Uprising Rally. I only went to the previous Bersih 3.0 gathering at Penang, but this rally isn’t only about clean and fair elections, in fact it was marched from 8 gathering spots from with 8 different causes, namely the student group with Student Solidarity Activist Malaysia SMM, Socialist Party of Malaysia, NGO of National Felda Settlers Association and also Royalty Recovery Coalition on the issue of Oil and Gas landing rights to Kelantan and Terengganu, Save Jalan Sultan and Heritage Village group, People’s Alliance Women, Himpunan Hijau Group, Solidarity Youth Coordinator Malaysia and many more. As the rally title says, the uprising rally.

I was just there from 12pm onwards, while i know there are a lot of people who were there since the previous night to monitor situation or preparations. Anyways so yes it was safe, though i was expecting plots to happen (ahh that’s why i brought my tele lens) but well most of the pictures are taken with my new UWA lens. I would say it’s definitely 100k people, considering there are still 25k+ outside lingering around with the mini carnival atmosphere. And hey, who says the rally causes economy loss, so many people selling food and stuffs la!
So yes the story of the day is again, made up of PEOPLE. From anywhere, any cause, any age, any race and anything. I urge myself to come for this rally not because of supporting PKR or whatsoever, i believe both parties have their own achievements and flaws, but am here to understand the society of Malaysia, or to experience what is it like to be with all the other who wears the same shoe like you in hope for the many optimistic future of this nation despite some have expressed their regrets and leaving the country. I am here to know what the opposition and NGO leaders have to deliver, in fact i have been to number of occasions of BN events and also DAP talks
Nevertheless it does feel good to finally see the both sides physically and hear what they have to say and happily deciding for yourself whom to trust to rather of what the media has to decide for you. It is my to surprise too, i thought i have known quite a lot from the reading around but it shocks you even more when there are so many other things happening in other states such as the Felda with the falling price of FGVH and Oil and Gas landing rights too. Of course glad to meet Anwar, GuanEng, Ambiga, Abdul Hadi, Wong Teck, and all in one occasion together.

And yes the stage was very far from my sight, taken with my 300mm zoomed distance. Yes thats Guan Eng and the others behind him.

And yes of course it was very hot and surely everyone did sun burnt.

And definitely it is a sea of yellow and green, and some red.
But i really admire how Himpunan Hijau gain to grow its number of supporters to be as huge as Bersih. If there are doubts about Malaysia’s Grass Root leadership, Bersih and Himpunan Hijau are already the testimony for many. And hopefully even more from other states as the countdown to GE 13 begins. Looking forward for more Rallies and actually, thinking about it, it is the part where i could remember everyone’s optimistic smile during today that caught me into this realm, like, this is it, it’s where Malaysians marching because they know they can make the change, it’s where they want to send their message across, while some can say it is a waste of time. i think too them, and me, this is what happens when things you read move you into a physical state of action.

Feel free to check out.

No Easy Way out for Change : GE13

Japheth Lim — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:55:01 +0000

These few weeks have been quite fruitful, i attended several public forums or meets, namely National Forum on Public Transport and also SLiM post Rio+20 meet. I really hope i could have written or blog them on the spot, as the amount of ideas generated, or new insights are rather quite interesting and limited to the public audience as you don’t get media coming to report on all these events.

This picture is taken at the Public Transportation Forum, SPAD SuruhanJayaPengangkutanAwanDarat officials are there to clarify all the questions from the public and media. I applause on this effort for government officials to come down to join the session and personally i have spoken to them to understand that they are all really keen of performing. But i came to realize an inconvenient observation on the public, and generally how the failure of public understanding or stereotyping towards the government has failed themselves.

Why do i say fail themselves? Many people today talk about VOTE FOR CHANGE. I am very afraid that this has imposed the impression as if voting is the solution for everything. I was once like that, but when i came to understand the act of governance in Malaysia, i realize that instead, another huge problem is the public reluctant to come to work together with the government to strive together, and continue judging and stereotyping everything related to the government is corrupted and not performing.

My intention of this post has neither to do with voting which side is right, but my message is the VOTE you cast is merely the small step of bringing change, but what matters most is your participation in this nation building.

This is very annoying because most of the public just doesn’t seem know much about our government system, and to really understand how does their single vote can interpret into changing the entire government? Take for instance, Rats in the House, Flood behind your house, Rubbish not collected, Public Transport Bus driver is rude… some jurisdiction of these responsibilities do not fall under your local representative but it can be federal government related or something else.

Taken in UM, Waste Management Issues in Malaysia Discussion

So what can be done? The least is to vote, and then participate in public forums, try to understand what’s happening on top and connect with them. They may have been wanting to hear from you, but maybe there’s just lack of good channel and there’s already a mental perception that blocks yourself away.

I have seen many complaints everywhere on FACEBOOK but NONE or Little has gone to the direct channel, and unless you have really tried thatm then please don’t say that the government does not do their job.

So the conclusion, is yes, there is no easy way out to bring this change, everyone must participate it or he shall be an obstacle. Regardless of whichever government is taking charge, there is a need for public to go hand in hand to build this nation. I know my friends who are against the current government and keeping their votes for the opposition, but they do still work very closely with the government because they know that they have no time to wait and see if the new government can deliver the promise, they participate the promise then.

And also the public should involve themselves into community development as their ultimate responsibility before talking about Government serving them! Some things we could have done it for ourselves but we point our fingers so often to the government all the time!

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE. Familiar quote? Yes, but don’t think about just voting so much, rather be the change!

Walkability within Kuala Lumpur City Center, ETP Chapter 5 EPP 8

Japheth Lim — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 15:58:24 +0000

Street walking has always been my thing, ever since my post secondary school life. For some reason, i just like to walk directionless, stick to a corner in the chinatown with some drinks and observing all walks of life around me, or well, just non stop walking. Later on in my years of Architecture studies, i became more aware of urban planning and infrastructure. Well when it comes to connectivity, there’s a lot of aspects to be said, but it’s irrefutably true to say that connectivity is one of the most crucial aspect in achieving a liveable city. Think New York, Singapore, HongKong, Tokyo.

Walkability and Identity

To understand what it really means about walkability of a city is to understand how does this term came about. Walkability is mostly western oriented, generally known as the pleasantness of walking in a place, it is part of the architecture element generated through the pedestrian oriented micro-design and micro-management of urban space. However, things in Eastern Cities are very different, particularly SEA countries with multi community cities in particular. The pleasantness of walking is also caught in the issues of the unease of traversing ethnically claimed spaces. Anyone from Kuala Lumpur will know that different areas are generally dominated by different race or business or social landmarks. But the point i am saying here is, to design a walkable kuala lumpur, this is one of the crucial factor to be studied first. This can be further read at Dr Wong’s PHD Thesis at Melb U.

The Rationale

The reality of Kuala Lumpur today is not a pedestrian friendly city, as it currently has inefficient design, poor walking pavements and poor respect to pedestrians in terms of traffic planning and spatial distribution. Everything is still very much segregated, not interlink to ease connectivity. This is based on a public opinion survey done by Seranta Awam, and personally i think it’s irrefutable true, let’s not talk about connectivity or walkability but the quality of the walkable pavement itself, as much as it may be upgraded but having hardscape from one plot to another can be somehow quite aesthetically disturbing.

WalkScore is an example of what i mean by calculating nearby amenities by walkable distance to rate on how liveable a place is. This tool has been used actively in the States and Europe. Visit http://www.walkscore.com/ for more info.

Walkability is a sub issue within Connectivity, if i have to say about connectivity is a much wider aspect where i wrote before that the answer to urban design is NOT about DENSITY but a lot of attention towards LOCATION and mixture of elements HERE. The lack of planning for the past few decades have caused a lot of inconvenience today as developments have already taken over a lot of significant plots that can be a vital improvement to the public connectivity instead. Transit nodes is still an issue, and furthermore recently, social security is also important to ensure urban design on pedestrian linkage grants safety and effectiveness in sight provision.

The Proposal

So knowing this problem, the government rolled up its plan to buckle up this issue, and it is addressed in the ETP Economic Transformation Program Chapter 5 (Developing Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang valley). There are a lot of aspects in this chapter addressed different solutions from macro to micro stages, but i would bring this closer to EPP Entry Point Project 8 : Creating a Comprehensive Pedestrian Network.

Initiatives

As extracted from Ministry of Federak Territories and Urban Wellbeing. Currently, DBKL and the private sector have initiated programmes to construct 4.5 kilometres of covered and elevated pedestrian linkages in the city centre, with an expected completion date of mid 2012. DBKL will complete two sets of walkways by late 2011 with the first linking Berjaya Times Square to Pavilion and the second pair linking Jalan Perak and Pavilion with Crowne Plaza and Jalan P. Ramlee, and linking Jalan Sultan Ismail with Jalan Pinang.

Additionally, Syarikat Prasarana Nasional Berhad (SPNB) will complete six linkages in the city centre by the end of 2010 as part of its broader public transport investment programme, while a PETRONAS-led effort to complete an elevated walkway around the KLCC area will be completed by 2011. In parallel, a long-term plan will be developed by DBKL to deploy a full pedestrian network across KL city totalling 45 kilometres. Implementation of this extended corridor will begin in 2012 and is expected to be completed by 2014.

To create an efficient pedestrian network, DBKL and other relevant local authorities will proactively solicit and incorporate public opinion throughout the design process, conduct a detailed cost analysis to cut construction costs and integrate the design to link with other major developments (e.g. MRT, River of Life,and retail outlets).

Solution or Problem?

It’s quite interesting to see how the planning made its way to accommodate higher pedestrian capacity and yet maintaining the car flow rate capacity without having to underground much. Which in contradict to that, you see cities like Shanghai and Singapore fully utilize their underground MRTs to start various undergrounds interlink to each individual building that ultimately offers the best connectivity it could be. But what disturbs me the most is that so we did not go underground, we build bridges, this can affect urban fabrics very much, imagine looking at a straight axis street and there’s a nice building at the end of it and now suddenly you have a pedestrian bridge blocking that view. I think basically what we went through is trying to create a solution for the problem that we never need to create in the first place (speaking from the point of view of a freshgrad with no expertise*)

Urban Planning is best when it’s Scratch. This is what i notice on Shanghai where in the short 10 years they can develop so fast and so many MRTs to move its 28million people around the city. Now that KL has already been developed for the past 55 years and you want to start a new MRT or pedestrian linkage, it makes a lot of complications and thus also directly affecting higher cost. If it’s being thought earlier on, who knows the rivers itself can offer a good water mood transportation, then we can talk about reviving the riverfront like clarke quay in singapore. I have not gone critically deep into the suggested development and routes yet but i am saying base on the general impression of what it seems to be. But whatever i am saying about is merely a rambling as i don’t have a better solution for this but just blaming on the past why we couldn’t have planned better.

Beyond the proposal. Relations with the Urban Fabric

As respect to the solution given, i think there is much more to be done. The challenge to design walkability and connectivity goes beyond just linking places up with a quantified manner but qualitative judging on the urban fabric. What i mean by urban fabric here is how a town define a human being’s perception at the pedestrian eye level.

1) Some city gateways lack sufficient definition as points of arrivals. Best example for this can be korea or china where different villages or towns have their own gateway or portal, so far the only example i can think of is Chinatown’s portal.

2) A lack of clarity in the movement pattern particularly in relation to ramps and systems. I think this can be still an issue of width and axis of walkway. A good example will be Shanghai Nanjing Street where you have a street full of people walking against each other but you still have it controlled, why? Simply by putting planter box to direct people on their flow.

3) The lack of streetscape consistency and landscape amenity along the paths. I think what matters the most again is to show that the destination does not always matter. As a streetwalker sometimes i prefer to see what’s along my path. I am not talking about advertisements which obviously i won’t stop to look at but somehow street arts or really anything that make people slow down to watch but yet you have the space for people to walk through.

4) The lack of planned formal large scale visual structures. Landmark is essentially important in any cities, it can be done via formally or informally, by structure or by local social landmarks. As an international city, KL should have more landmarks to make identification easy. We could have our own Malaysian “Merlion” or Chicago’s “Cloudgate”.

5) Incomplete Green Network. I wouldn’t want to walk on solid bridges from buildings to buildings honestly. I will be so glad if we have our own NewYorkHighLine that connects places while doing a lot more of other great things. Read more HERE on 5 reasons why it should be praised.

I think so far i could just think about these 5 from the point of view of walkability, certainly it is not easy to create a liveable city, it has a lot to do with social and economy too. I think i will look further into the MRT placements next. Till then.

BERSIH 3.0 @ Esplanade, Penang

Japheth Lim — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:18:28 +0000

It was 428 that made people so united. Personally i love how BERSIH 3.0 happened in Esplanade. At first we were all a little worried on Safety concerns.. we talked and thought about “what ifs”.. we were well aware of the tear gas and water canons that might be awaiting.. but it seems that it turned out to be a fun gathering of really just, Duduk Bantah.

I am no political activist or whatsoever, but just a student or young adult who came here in the interest of supporting clean election. I came in the name of justice and rights for all the people in this nation that a true and fair election should be carried out and as simple as that. It was a successful rally for me, things were straight and forward. We all gathered the venue, all cooperated well, sit down as it’s planned as DUDUK BANTAH. The speeches were made.. the press was given their space to hear what we have to say.. And things ended well.

You see yellow waves coming in yelling “bersih, bersih! ” and “Hentikan Lynas”. I was deeply encouraged by the range of turn outs, there was walks from all life and also as young as children and also as aged as senior citizens. By 2.30pm, the Esplanade is 3/4 full. Suggesting to an amount of 10 thousand people.

I think one thing why Penang turned out successfully was because the people really keep calm. The crowd again was reassured of the reasons why they are there, and what are the items they are supporting. We all sat down and listen to what’s being said.
Unlike Kuala Lumpur, in which i don’t know much but base on what i have updated with media from various sides, the crowd is rather huge and easily dispersed. The crowd is too huge and out numbers what the group leader can do. Well i am in no position to judge as i was not there but i really just hoped that they could keep calm and duduk bantah, while some just went against the police barrier and Ambiga’s order to end the rally, things start to happen.

What took place in Penang was seriously worthy to be respected. There was no FRU units dispatch.. neither Policemen are seen.. but just security escort around CM and the others at the main platform. And we have various groups coming in together with their trademarks.. Even Gurney Cycling Club came in with all of their bicycles.. and we have a signature banner for the public to sign as a mean to support.

I spotted this at the corner. The Esplanade is also known as a speaker’s corner for Penang, provided that the users abide the rules mentioned as it’s said, then it’s really a good platform for all to use this speaker’s corner for something constructive. The state government won’t stop from an opinion to be voiced as CM respects the rights to voice, same goes to agree the current government to do a street rally against BERSIH 3.0.. because they have the rights.

I think this picture is the most interesting. It’s one of the current EC issues. One issue is about changing the entire SPR as the current leaders were once in UMNO, which doesn’t seem to convince that Clean elections are on the way. On the other hand, is the “undi Hantu” issues, where we have many unknown expired voting rights citizens but still active in the sytem..

Well i won’t elaborate the issue much,n but simply, we are here because we love Malaysia. We want a clean elections ahead. We need this to be clean because only then election result reflects what it should be showing.

It was a great weather too. Just a little bit of drizzling and all but it was a cool cloudy day.. we were so afraid it’s gonna be hot.. and God bless us as rain started to pour only we reached back at 5pm+.

I have uploaded the pictures i took and enabled it to public viewing. Please see it HERE

Personally i would want to thank to my relatives and friends who were concerned of the safety.. I think that i have read enough from any stream of media to know that i’m mature to make my own decision for what i stand in believe. Who cares if i am a government scholar, doesn’t mean i can’t support for the better of the future nation? And furthermore, i’m not in a march against the government but supporting a clean election. I took facts into considerations, not assumptions upon decisions to act.. I’m saying this because some were worried that if i’m caught then my scholarship will be terminated.. in which it doesn’t make a single sense at all when AUKU is abolished and all the other related issues..

Thanks to all of my friends who support the cause together too =)
BERSIH 3.0! Hoping election is clean and fair and the truth shall reveal.

JAPHETH LIM.COM » Malaysia

5 Advices for Young People to survive in this 21st century.

Related posts:

Hari Kebangkitan Rakyat Malaysia #HKR112 – The Magnificent Sight of Malaysian Spirit

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No Easy Way out for Change : GE13

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Walkability within Kuala Lumpur City Center, ETP Chapter 5 EPP 8

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BERSIH 3.0 @ Esplanade, Penang

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