Majority of the students first experience internships in Singapore during the final year of their Polytechnic education. Some even get the opportunity to travel and serve theirs overseas! I, on the other hand, took a pretty different route. It was only after I got my diploma did I apply for a Singapore internship. I was pretty bumped that I was unsuccessful in applying for an internship Singapore opportunity which my Polytechnic encourages and had to settle for handling a final year project.

It's a known fact that interns are often given menial tasks (It's actually not an easy job photocopying mountains of paperwork!) to complete and are always under nitpicking superiors who never have a complement for you. Nonetheless, you'll learn skills (be it relevant to your speciality or not) that will benefit you in the future. It's not a waste of time! It's always good to have industrial knowledge and experience to enrich your portfolio.

I've learnt quite a number of humbling life skills from my time as an intern and because I am in need of some serious karma points, I'll share my thoughts on them with you.


1. First impressions stick!

Probably one of the most important lessons you'll ever learn in life and perhaps the the most useful. First impressions are crucial! While you can't possibly stop others from making judgments about you, you can make those decisions work in your favour. Non-verbal cues are way more impactful in making an impression than verbal ones. That's another guide altogether so go research on it! (Or maybe wait till I write one about it? Haha!)


2. (Act like) You don't know anything.

You may have straight As under your belt and boast a rock solid GPA but you are after all just 20(ish). On the grand scale of life, you're only just at the beginning. On the grand scale of your career path, you're only an intern who is scraping for knowledge at the bottom of the food chain. So, learn every little thing you possibly can! That includes knowing where to find those Milo sachets in the pantry and fixing the damned malfunctioning printing machine! Much like any story, the interesting parts only reveal themselves towards the end so do not act like a know-it-all cause well, you don't. That will just stun your growth and make the whole internship experience obsolete.


3. It's right to be wrong. (Don't overdo it!)

Sometimes you work on an assignment and it flips on you. Pick yourself back up and dust yourself off. Some (Most, if we're being honest…) lessons can only be learnt by falling face-flat on the cold hard ground and getting stomped by a Tyrannosaurus.


4. Listen!

Everyone wants to be acknowledged as a person, to have their thoughts and opinions voiced and listened to. It's up to ourselves to provide constructive inputs (The world already have too much negativity!), and the best way to do so is to first listen and learn. You can only experience so much in a lifetime, but other people's experiences can help you fill the gaps, and theirs, you. That is communication.


5. Everything is of value! (Eventually…)

It's only after you leave your internship and start your career journey when you realise that all the frivolous details and knowledge will come in handy one way or another. You just might get extra brownie points from your superiors for being able to change the toner cartridges of the fax machines efficiently.

If you have yet to experience serving an internship in Singapore, or wish to build up your portfolio further with more, you can head over to www.stroff.com to view all their latest listings.

Simply order your desired dim sum cravings at www.yumchaexpress.com.sg and wait for it to arrive piping hot! Operating hours are from 9:00AM – 9:00PM.

(Do visit www.yumchaexpress.com.sg for more information!)

The Royal Mail Restaurant & Bar has been driven by a desire to deliver exquisite dishes with quality and creativity, and its conviction to continuously outdo itself culminated in their revamped menu.


Scallop Carpaccio and Tuna (S$26)
I loved the colourful presentation and the fact that the scallops were left uncooked for us to enjoy its freshness and natural sweetness.


Trio of Tomatoes (S$18)
More could have been done to make this dish satisfactory.


Seafood Bouillabaisse (S$28)
The stew was bursting with all the seafood goodness! The snapper, mussels and langoustine (which is not a prawn, but a lobster!) went really well together and definitely kept me delightfully chewing. A must-order!


Honey Glazed Kurobuta Pork (S$56)
The apple butter sauce sure did a marvelous job in adding the right touch of sweetness to the savoury pork. I did wish that the pork was a little more tender and fatty though. Delicious nonetheless.


Porcini & Bacon Risotto (S$32)
I liked that it was light and only moderately cheesy to give my taste buds a short break from all the savoury action.


Miso Black Cod (S$42)
Another highlight dish of the night. The cod itself was amazing, but it was the distinct textures of the different elements that made me kept wanting more! Definitely worth a try.


Japanese Yellow Sea Bream (S$78)
It was a pleasant dish overall but I felt that the fish was too reliant on the garlic and sauce for flavour.


A Dessert Platter (S$32)
I guess that it will be good to sample different dessert flavours but I personally thought that this dish was a tad redundant.


Peanut Butter Jelly (S$18)
A very clever and unique twist to a beloved snack. I liked that the peanut butter was subtle, paving way for the flavours of the chocolate and cranberry to stand out as well.


Sticky Date Pudding (S$18)
I got a pleasant surprise when I dug into this dessert and realising that it was not a lava cake! A pretty good dessert dish in terms of its taste.


Eton Mess (S$18)
All the elements were of the right proportion. It felt like I was having a yummy bowl of breakfast cereal!


Enhanced Bergamot Earl Grey Jelly (S$18)
A refreshing dessert to cleanse our palates. The jelly went well with the frozen yoghurt and berries to give a tangy finish.

There are times when I get into these periods of discouragement at work and I bet many do as well. Your mind gets so clouded (be it from personal or work factors) that work performance deteriorates and only seems to worsen with each attempt to remedy the situation. Negative emotions just keeps pilling on and on until there is no more motivation left. Whatever it is, slumps shouldn't be allowed to continue for long!


1. Stop brooding about past failures!

Every try can produce a different result. Who is to say that the same trick won’t work twice? (Don’t keep banging your head onto a wall though! Be smart about it.) And if they don't, use different approaches to tackle the problem. Sometimes, the most unexpected ones work! Opportunities are everywhere. Just like a matching game, we’ll never know for sure if there will be a match until we act on it and we only really fail when we choose to give up. It’s perfectly normal to feel disheartened but we have to always remember to kick ourselves up, stay focused on the bigger picture and keep pressing on!


2. Stop overthinking!

Where do all these negative feelings stem from? Our thoughts. Our circumstances cannot directly affect our feelings. Imagine this: you are having a horrible day, you lose your wallet, your boss rejects your project proposal, and then your friend comments on how ugly your shoes are. You would probably feel insulted and annoyed. Now imagine a different scenario: you are having an awesome day, you bank in your pay check, your significant other surprises you with takeaway during your lunch break, and then your friend makes the same comment. Would you feel the same way? I think not. You might even laugh it off taking it as a joke. No bad weather or snide comment or pressurising workload can make us feel terrible if we are able to choose and pay attention to the thoughts that empower us instead. Yes, it requires mental toughness to do so. Negative and positive thoughts are all simply just thoughts after all. They can be manipulated. It’s up to us to interpret and make them work in a way for us to improve.


3. Stop stressing over winning!

I am a competitive person. It’s human nature. People get anxious about winning and losing. However, there are times when we let our drive for perfection and victory consume us and thus strip ourselves from performing with clarity and enthusiasm. We become robots, stressed out on making things ideal but sadly, not special. Let loose! As cliche as it sounds, it's mostly about the journey to the destination, rather than the destination itself.


4. Stop isolating yourself!

Reconnect with old friends! Make new ones! People who we interact with and whom we have comfortable chemistry can have an impact on the way we perceive things and our emotions as well. Hanging out with people with a positive drive in life might be exactly what we need as a stepping stone to break out from our work slump. There is a big possibility that we can learn different strategies from one another that might prove effective in the problems we face. Moreover, the sheer moral support is already a massive positive energy that can be channeled into our thoughts.

Getting out of a slump is a slow process. The snowball effect is evidently present so it is really important to get started and keep the momentum going! I've started.

Rustic decorations and storied wall murals lend FYR Cycene Ond Drinc a distinct antique charm, and they promise an intriguing experience that harks back to simpler times. I felt very at ease dining with my friends during the media tasting event with the inviting atmosphere and friendly service crew. Definitely a pleasant way to relax after a full day's work.

All of FYR's dishes are whipped up with a culinary practice that pays tribute to a time when food was cooked atop wood chunks and over blazing flames. Using lychee wood, the dishes are given an additional aromatic smoky note that tinges with sweetness.

Baked Freshly-Shucked Oysters (S$15)

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