Change, Chance, and Challenge
Soccer fans, especially Red Devils fans, are no strangers to dramatic changes. Manchester United won their historic treble by scoring twice during stoppage time against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League 1999 Final. Thirteen years later, the two last-gasp comeback goals scored on the other side of the City of Manchester changed the final destination of the Premier League trophy and cancelled (or at least deferred) the celebration party for Manchester United's 20th league title.
Success is often decided within the critical fractions of a second, but we often overlook the days, months, or years of preparations and continuous hard work of the winners before their glorious moments. Without good performances in the 3,420 minutes throughout the entire season, the final minute goals would mean nothing.
We are always told to turn our challenges into opportunities, but are we well-prepared to be the changemakers before such critical moments come? I would like to take this opportunity to share a number of inspiring talks I have hadover the last month with you here.
The first is the talk by Mr Nicholas Tse (謝霆鋒), the celebrity whose name is linked to page C1 of newspapers and cover stories of magazines. He shared his success story as a young and accomplished CEO at HKUST Business School in April (YouTube Link:
http://youtu.be/Mb43bdOHA7c).
Mr Shih Wing Ching (施永青), founder of Centaline Property Agency Limited and am730, spoke at the “Change Maker Forum II,” which I attended on behalf of the HKIS on 19 May 2012. He discussed his early career as a “練習生” (aka “Messenger/Office Boy”) for a developer when he was 27 years old. He relied on an outdated street map to travel between departments, companies, and sites around the territory to deliver documents. (Maybe that was why he started up the free web-map service later?) From his observations of every piece of paper he touched, he learned how the property market operated, and this gave him a solid foundation for his future real estate agency business. The video of the seminar is not yet available, but please search online for Mr Shih’s previous interviews if you are interested in knowing more.
Highlights of the month
“Let’s Talk: Talk - Far from ordinary: Women of Excellence” (卓越女性系列2012 – “司儀．話．思義”) Joint CPD series with JCI HK Jayceettes (5 May 2012)
“Chase Excellence, Success will follow”. Our guest speakers, Miss Amanda Fok (霍彩玲) & Miss Hui Ying (許瑩), might have had different starting points for their MC careers, but they shared the same key to their success: keep chasing excellence. Miss Fok shared how she attempted to open up her own market as a full-time MC with an audience of over 50 on a Saturday afternoon. Miss Hui showed us how her travels throughout Germany allowed her to help host the TV Olympic Equestrian Events programme in 2008, eventually winning the Best Olympic Commentators Scholastic Award.
My lessons learned from the above talks are: have no fear of the challenges ahead, always be prepared for chance events, never give up until the final whistle, be honest to yourself, and love what you do. If you believe in yourself, you can achieve the results you want!
The second workshop will be held on 30 June 2012 (Saturday). Miss Lisa Cheng (鄭麗莎), “Hong Kong Spider Girl” (“蜘蛛女”) and World Champion Rock Climber, will share her story about what inspired her to make positive changes and “Be Extraordinary”. Renowned for winning the Bun Snatching contest at the annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival, Lisa experienced tremendous changes during her teen years and transformed herself into a positive and outstanding athlete.
Miss Charlene Tse (謝寧), Miss Hong Kong and founder of the popular cookie bakery, has agreed to be our guest speaker for the third workshop on 28 July. Don’t miss the excellent opportunity to hear these inspiring stories!
2012 Young Surveyors Conference & FIG Working Week (4-5, 6-10 May) in Rome, Italy
The first Young Surveyors Conference of the FIG Young Surveyors Network was successfully held from 4 to 5 May 2012 in Rome, Italy. Our YSG Honorary Secretary, Miss Bessie Liu, attended the YS Conference and the Working Week on behalf of Hong Kong. We would like to strengthen the existing links and establish new ones with young surveyors around the world. Please check out Bessie’s full report in this issue of Surveyors Times for further details.
Social Event: “Macaron class + Cheese cake demonstration” -(12 May 2012)
Due to overwhelming response from members in the first day of registration, we then immediately arranged an additional Macaron x Cheese Cake making class. We had over 30 members sharing the joyful moments of making these tiny and popular French confectioneries together.
“From a GP Surveyor to Project Manager” by Mr MY Wan (21 May 2012)
I would like to express my sincere thanks to Mr Wan for giving us another remarkable talk after last year’s “Learning to Learn” seminar. During the two-hour presentation, Mr Wan highlighted the numerous landmark projects in his career as a GP surveyor and later as a Project Manager; from working for the government to assisting private property tycoons and later non-profit making organizations. Many of his past projects were the first of their kind and turned out to be notable precedents in the industry. He listed and compared the essential characteristics of a good GP surveyor and good Project Manager and encouraged young surveyors to broaden their scope and make the most of their skill sets.
Coming Soon
Final call for the 2012 Stanley International Dragon Boat Championship (23 June 2012)
In less than a month’s time, the HKIS dragons will be racing with 200+ teams in Tai Tam Bay for the Tuen Ng Festival (23 June 2012). You are cordially invited to join the team as paddlers or cheerleaders, get wet, and have fun with us. To register, please send an e-mail to [email protected].
2012 YSG Study Tour to Wuhan (12 - 16 September 2012)
The direct high-speed rail connection between Wuhan and Shenzhen officially began operations last month. In a few years, Wuhan will be the critical central node of a national high-speed rail network connecting the East (Shanghai), West (Chengdu), North (Beijing), and South (Hong Kong). Getting around the country has never been faster and easier.
I am pleased to announce that this year’s YSG Study Tour will bring you to this “Ancient x Modernized” metropolis via the nationwide railway service. Our OC team is working in full swing to identify government departments, academic institutions, private developments, and tourist spots to place in our itinerary. Enroll now to avoid disappointment!
“From Large Format to Small Format, From Manned Aerial Survey to Unmanned Aerial Survey” by Mr Tommy Au (10 July 2012)
After taking over 100,000 aerial photographs of every corner of Hong Kong as a passenger on fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters for nine years, Tommy decided to make himself the pilot of remote-controlled “spy-planes,” or the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and published the first aerial photo album of UAV products. In this seminar, Tommy will share his experiences with and views on the development of UAVs.
YSG APC Workshops: Start your preparations Here and Now!
Similar to previous years, YSG is working with various Divisions to help candidates in their preparations of APC. Our first batch of YSG APC workshops this year will start from BSD, scheduled on 10 and 26 July. Experienced BS practitioners are invited to deliver talks on hot topics. More revision courses are forthcoming in the next three months and a mock assessment camp for Practical Task is scheduled for late September. Keep an eye out for further announcements.
What else?
Please check out the details of other YSG events in the CPD/PQSL pages, HKIS e-mail broadcasts, and our announcements on the YSG website & Facebook page!
Contact YSG
We need your ideas, suggestions, support, and active participation for our upcoming events. You may e-mail us at
[email protected] or join us at our YSG committee meetings, which will usually be held in Suite 810, 8/F, Jardine House, One Connaught Place, Central on the first Friday of each month except on public holidays (i.e., 1 June, 6 July, 3 August, 7 September, 5 October, and 2 November 2012).
