Youth Jam: Not Just Another Leadership Workshop

“Dear Nestle,..”

Sound compelling? Most of us can only dream of being able to send an email directly to a big-shot company like Nestle. But that is not how it is done. Jazz Tan, a speaker at last Wednesday’s (25 March) Youth Jam Workshop in TCSH, and founder of YouthsToday.com, a sponsorship and event matching platform, has had plenty of experience dealing with aspiring young founders who squander their sponsorship prospects by sending a simple mass email. In this case, the email was mistakenly sent to Tan’s company, which rejected their sponsorship plea for obvious reasons.

Tan is 25. She has all the enthusiasm of a 17 year old and a knowledge of advertising comparable to that of most veterans in the field. When she awkwardly adjusts the tall Chatime poster in front of the podium while announcing its sponsorship of her workshop, it is clear that she possesses a self-awareness that all young people can all relate to. Yet, when speaking to the crowd of 16-19 year old college students, she commanded attention like any other experienced CEO. Club presidents, student council members, youth event organizers, we were all there to know her secrets.

We are part of an ever-evolving generation that wants to create our own businesses, drop out of school to create viral apps, organize fundraisers for pertinent issues, and engage our communities in the change that we want to create. However, we still have to play by the adults’ rules. We are still kids who rely on our parents to fund our lunch, or in this case, our school projects.

In regards to this, Tan’s message was simply this, know the rules, play the game. Among her feats of entrepreneurship includes organizing an augmented reality race with 1400 participants at zero cost. None. Nil. Nada.

The key is sponsorship--the main topic of the workshop. Remember that mass email you wanted to send to those 100 companies among which you hoped at least 3 would reply? Don’t do that. Your email should address a specific person in the company who is in charge of the company’s sponsorship deals, or even their CSR director. Another mistake that young founders often make is underestimating the relevance or reach of their event, therefore not presenting a desirable image to potential sponsors. What benefits can you bring to companies? Something as simple as a ‘concept tie-in’, like how your youth conference aligns with Maybank’s company values, would be a viable reason for Maybank to sponsor your event.

“Say, you want to bring 200 people to the moon. Impossible, right? How about if we built a moon here? How much manpower would you need? 10K, 10 people per team and 1000 teams?” This is where the workshop stops itself from being just another soporific leadership workshop that a bunch of adults in administrative jobs decided to impose on college students. It is not about personal development or being a good team player, it is about devising a feasible strategy to do whatever the heck you want. That’s what appeals to young people like me, and that is really what is going to spur innovation from the youth to bring greater social and economic change to our country.

Tan has been running her on-going annual event, Youth Jam for 6 years now. True to its objective of promoting entrepreneurship and social awareness among the youth, the event bridges young leaders with mentors, brands, NGOs and government agencies every year.

Her latest venture includes inviting Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, to Malaysia to attend the ASEAN Chairmanship program this year. She calls on all youth leaders and companies to submit a total of 100,000 videos addressed to Mr. Zuckerberg. You could be a company, a club president, or an interested individual.

She has already partnered up with 10 ASEAN countries. There lies the most interesting of Tan’s strategies: “We go for the coolest kids in town.” (Speaking of which, I could not help but flip my hair) Besides the logistical challenges, the real impetus behind successful projects is the type of people on your side. Which famous person is supporting you? Which newspapers are talking about you? Which trends are your event relevant to? The coolest kids are not just the ones with the latest phones, the crass friends. They are the class presidents, the popular websites, the CEOs, and the leaders of countries. Even the founder of Chatime has sent a video.

Now doesn’t that make you want to start a kickass project of your own?

Written by 

Chua Zi

Member of Writing Department

TCSH Editorial Board

I am Where. Are You?

On March 24th 2015, the “I am Where. Are You? Talk” was conducted by 19 year-old Eibhlin

Lim, CEO of her own startup company, Phoenix. Biting the bait of free BurgerLab burgers,

around 70 students gathered in Alpha Theater to listen to the humorous and very relatable teen.

Appearing unassuming and nervous, many of us were still amazed by Eibhlin’s strong personal

journey of self-discovery and persistence.

Misleading us to believe she was talking about a close friend instead, she began by relaying

her story to us. Introducing the character as a 19 year-old girl who took a break from formal

education after finishing her IGCSEs in 2013, the story followed an unexpected path full of both

failures and achievements (two concepts which Eibhlin considers to be interchangeable).

From small falls such as not being able to go to the bookstore on weekends to bigger letdowns

like organising a brainstorming meet-up in Colorado with no attendees, Eibhlin shared with

us how she took her downfalls and turned them into something valuable. Suffering from

her bookstore visit deprivation, Eibhlin decided to apply to write book reviews for The Star

newspaper. At the age of 15 with barely any qualifications besides a blooming love for books,

one probably would have quickly dismissed the idea of even applying to write for the newspaper.

Why on earth would they accept an unqualified 15 year-old student? But they did. I suppose it

goes to show that if you never try you never know.

Following from that, the young introvert succeeded in publishing about 55 articles through

various outlets worldwide, eventually obtaining an offer to write for the highly-acclaimed

Huffington Post even. She even got a scholarship to continue her A-Levels at a good

international school but in the end, she declined. Instead of pursuing her A-Levels, Eibhlin

was drawn to do something else. She had a goal - starting up a digital journalism camp for

She had undergone a number of obstacles in efforts to realizing her dream. However, as life

would have it, her digital journalism camp remained only a brilliant idea. Throughout her

journey, she kept a blog running and kept brainstorming ideas with friends until one day, she had

plans with a friend for lunch and unexpectedly, her friend bailed on her last minute. So there she

was, in the shopping mall, with a bag of newsletters next to her and she thought, “Why not give

them out?”. And now, her newsletter is being distributed to 7 different high schools in Malaysia.

Phoenix is an online newsletter which features people from all different walks of life but are

all ultimately sources of inspiration. From gymnasts to supermodels, Phoenix voices out the

hardship-filled journey of others and how they overcame these hardships. In the next 3 years,

Eibhlin hopes to have a student from every country signing up for the Phoenix newsletter and

as a life-long goal, she hopes to be able to contribute to creating a culture where you can pursue

whatever you want and not be scared to do so.

As insignificant as she made us feel (there is only a 1 to 3 year difference and yet she is so much

more accomplished?! Is she even real?), her unlikely story also taught us a lot and made many of

us feel inspired and motivated to start following our passion. Eibhlin shortlisted 3 best practices

I feel that practice 1 is especially applicable to today’s youth. We are constantly putting off

things and waiting. Our generation has become the masters of procrastination so much so that it

is a culture embedded into our lifestyle. When we think about doing things, we say things like

“I’ll do it after I finish my exams la”, “Wait la, still got time, chill a bit” or “Too many things

now, maybe later la”. But really, what better time to start than now? If Eibhlin had waited to go

to the bookstore to satisfy her needs, she may not have started writing for the newspaper. You

may never be in the ideal situation so make the best out of the resources you have right now,

although sometimes it pays to be a little foolish, a little ambitious and a little, well, unrealistic I

The second as well is something that has been looming over our generation for a while. We are

often too afraid of failure to actually do anything. Do not let the fear of something happening let

nothing happen. Go for it and if you fall you just pick yourself up again.

When speaking on humility, Eibhlin focused on accepting ourselves for who we are, flaws and

all and from there, being open about it. She preaches vulnerability and being strong enough to

admit your own shortcomings and accepting criticism and teachings from others.

Her advice and journey were impressive but what really made her stand out was the fact that

at the end of the day, she was really just one of us. This relatable nature allowed a strong

connection to flow through the room and really inspired us.

During the open Q&A session after, Eibhlin stressed a lot on her key takeaway point - “Be

intentional”. Much emphasis was placed on the suggestion that everything we do should be

accompanied by genuine intention. No matter where our passion and intention leads us to, it

should be a path we are proud to be on. Just tell yourself, my path “might not be as fancy [as

others] but that’s who I am”. And if you’re more of a floater in life, that is fine too. Just keep

exploring, keep doing what you feel like doing and embark on some soul-searching. It is going to

be a tough journey but one day when you find where your heart lies, it will be worth it.

Writen by
Chin Wye Mun
Member of Writing Department
 TCSH Editorial Board

Photos by
Samantha Yong
Head of Photography Department
TCSH Editorial Board

The Biology Battle

The long waited Biology Model Building Competition was held in Delta Theatre on 27th February, 2015 from 8:30am to 10:30am. The contestants consisted of BS1, BS2, and BS3 students who have been preparing since the beginning of the month. The judges were Ms Leong, Ms Liew, Mr Arvin, and Ms Prima, Ms Liew, Mr Arvin, and Ms Prima, who were in charge of assessing every single group in regards to their skills of innovation, accuracy and presentation from the models and posters produced.

19 groups, with 5 students each, participated with producing models of various topics, such as protein, synthesis of extra cellular enzyme, plant cell, plasma membrane and so on. Similarly to diversity of topics, models were created by numerous materials from jelly and styrofoam to paper and sponge.

Originally only 3 prizes were prepared, but due to the high standards of all the models in general, 2 extra prizes were given. 5th place went to group 3(Ashley Yap, Leanne Ng, Rou Jie Ooi, Yun Lin Liew and Nandita Kambli) as they presented their three-dimensional plasma membrane clearly. 4th place was presented to group 19 (Evonne Phua, Chin Lyn Goh, Jing Er Ng, Dolly Chong and Nicholas Chong) for their interactive model of exocytosis and endocytosis.

Group 10 (Nicole Yeo, Elizabeth Yeoh, Hui Ling Pung, Ting Wen Wong and Joe Yee Tang) took the 3rd place with the creative use of magnets to demonstrate their topic, synthesis of extra cellular enzyme. First runner-up was group 11(Nurul Aiman, Doyoon Kim, Kaythrriiee Ganesan, Alissa Sonia and Dhanisha Kaur Saini), which won with their creative representation of plant cell with the use of jelly. The glorious 1st place was awarded to group 4(Teng E-Wei, Chee Ken Thong, Wai Sheng Tan, Mahdev Singh Sachdev and Rohen). Group 4's plant cell model was detailed and creative. By using light bulbs, the model was not only informative, but beautiful.

This competition brought students out of their comfort zone and allowed them to explore further by doing their own research. 'We saw and learned from the actual biological structures in 3D, so I feel that my knowledge is more in-depth', Kam from BS3 remarked. 'It was a really useful experience as I got to know my classmates better', commented Elizabeth from BS2.

It is astonishing to know that even though the fact that DNA is double helix was discovered when Ms Lauren, the principal was a student a few years back, the students now are learning it as an obvious truth. The progress in mankind’s exploration of biology is truly amazing.

Every student had given in all of their efforts to create wonderful models. Thus, regardless wins or losses, it was still a valuable experience for everyone.

Written by,
Kate Kim,
Member of Writing Department,
Editorial Board TCSH

Photos by, 
Samantha Yong,
Head of Photography Department,
Editorial Board TCSH

Valentine’s Day: TCSH Cupid Delivery Service

Valentine’s Day love is spreading everywhere, yes, even in the cold, frigid air of Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas. I guess the warmth of love can overcome everything after all – even when air-conditioners are turned on high. *cringe*

Since the start of the week, the DeFashionista and Leo Club have collaborated and set up an enchanting Valentines’ Day booth - fairy lights, teddy bears, roses and all, ready to entice romantic hearts into lightening their wallets for their loved ones. 

Many were captivated by the hand-made cards with adorably cute puns. Others, a little hesitant  upon glancing at the prices. However, understanding the plight of a mere college student, there was also a discount if you bought a rose for your lecturer, as well as the entertaining option for your valentines’ to be serenaded when being delivered his or her gift.

Justin Kim, head of DeFashionista Club, sacrificed his extra sleeping time in the name of love, lugging buckets of roses, boxes of chocolates and bottled messages in the wee hours of the morning. He was Taylor’s main one-man delivery service, knocking on doors to hand out roses to all recipients. Most notably, the staff members and teachers received roses from Ms Lauren. And really, their surprised and bashful looks as he hauled the bucketful of roses to their table, heart-shaped balloons trailing behind him made all the sacrificed time worthwhile.

All in all, it was a sweet atmosphere to begin the Chinese New Year holidays with. There were the usual playful nudges and jokes, whispers about secret admirers and anonymous givers, as well as just plain but sincere friendship. 

Even our dear Editor couldn't help giving a shy look :-)

Even though most of the deliveries were late - one-man cupid, remember? Even though our wallets might be just a little lighter (don’t worry, Chinese New Year’s just around the corner). Even though some hearts got broken, or if you spent your Valentine’s Day with food as your one true love, it is alright because as Jane Austen said, “We are all fools in love.” Preach it Jane.

I only wish I got to see someone be serenaded. 

Written by,

Amanda Lee,

Editorial Board Writing Department

Photography by Samantha Yong,
Head of Photography.

Rat Massacre

(WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS DISTURBING IMAGES)

30 students dressed in lab coats all gathered at lab 5 on 6^th of February for one sole reason: rat dissection. Rat dissection is an annual event held by Doctors of Tomorrow (DOT), TCSH’s one of the most active clubs, for the new members to familiarise with real organs.

‘I’m very excited for it, especially for the brains’, Aiman, one of the participants remarked before heading towards the lab. For the majority of the students, this was the very first time that they got to slice through a real body. Before the commencement of the activity, procedures and aims were described: slice the rib cage without damage, identify the organs, ensure the heart is still beating and remove heart, digestive systems, liver, kidney and brain. The removed organs were to be placed in petridish with saline solution in order to prevent contamination.

The students divided themselves into pairs and shared a rat between with the exception of few who handled everything alone. When started, stern eyes were seen from everyone and subtle discussion could be heard on how to handle the rat. In most cases, one of the pair held the rat, whilst the other used a scalpel to incise. The attitudes varied from some with already professional expression and swift motions to some with nervousness and confusion explicit on their face. ‘I have a mixed feeling about this. It’s disturbing, yet interesting’, Sean commented, ‘now I really know how organs look like and how to cut now.”

The last task for all was to remove the brain. This process was done slowly and carefully, so as not to get it wrong and mess up the whole thing. ‘The brain was the most challenging part’, Wei Jian stated, ‘because the skull was encasing it.’

                

Despite the serious name ‘rat dissection’, the environment was focused and humorous at the same time with very supportive instructors. Rather comical talks such as describing the liver’s texture as deflated balloon and suggesting the gender of the rat could easily be found by the presence of ‘balls’. This easily eased the tension of the room, if there ever was.

Although it could have been a challenging endeavour, since it was the first time, everyone enjoyed and gained new experience from this activity. ‘What I gained from this is the anatomy of a rat and how similar it is to human body we learned.’ Aiman remarked afterwards, ‘and I feel a lot braver.’

Written by: Kim Doyoon (Kate)

Editorial Board Writing Department member

Photo by: Chong Jin Xuan

Orientation Party - January 2015 Intake

 

The Legendary 'Party-Turned-Concert'

It is most definitely fit to say that the liveliness of the engaging crowd gathered in order to socialize and create greater networks within the college campus was an effective effort, bearing fruits of immeasureable value in the months and years to come. The mere reverberation of sound waves throughout the room, melded with music succeeded in the creation of sheer merriment.

The smiles visible on the faces of both silent onlookers as well as the bubbly, extroverted cliques contributed to the typical mixture of students, consisting of varying identities and personalities – these individual differences proved desirable in the shock value obtained upon learning of the significant other’s unique traits – in this case, it was opposites attract indeed!

The opening of doors commenced at approximately 1:00 p.m., as the crowd began gathering and helping themselves to the various delicacies served in a precise manner on the tables spread across all 3 rooms (2.7, 2.8 and 2.9). The remarkably talented emcees, Rachel and Jet, undertook the responsibility of informing the students regarding the games preceding the dining session; the first game included as part of the agenda commenced at 1:30 p.m. – The Joyce Game, spearheaded by Siew Hong; it served not only to brighten up the situation, but also as a warm-up practice for the students. 

Following a brief round of introduction, the next game in the agenda called the “Blanket Name Game”, run by Rachel, entailed the formation of 6 groups whereby a volunteer would be chosen each round to be concealed behind a blanket. Upon the dropping of the blanket, the name of the volunteer on the other side would have to be guessed as quickly as possible! The air was filled by the loud sounds of the joy derived from correct guesses, encouragement, and support.

In order to enlighten the spirits of all involved, a performance was held – we were graced by the presence of the exceptionally talented Mr. Kent, as well as a student named Nicole. The extent to which their melodious voices affected the audience was evident in their requests for a second song to be delivered by both respective performers! And in a split second, the lights were switched off, replaced by flashlights belonging to the phones of the supportive audience; it was indeed a sight worthy of recognition and remembrance, considering the melancholy mood created by the lovely sight of white lights waving back and forth in the darkness, in accordance to the tune. The romantic combination silenced the hushes ever present amongst the excited crowd; the resemblance to a night at a Richard Marx concert was uncanny!

The responsibility of being an emcee was thereafter handed over to Nicole; Isabelle managed the third and final game included in the agenda – the Human Knot Race! The rules required that participants were not allowed to hold the hands of those standing next to them following the formation of circles; the complications worsened when they were required to walk in circles! The eventual state of the participants fitted the indication of the title ascribed to the aforementioned game perfectly indeed!

Although the crowd had mostly dispersed by 3pm, the remaining students engaged themselves in a dance session, “strutting their stuff”, enabling the precious discovery of valuable talents possessed by the students of TCSH! As upsetting as it may seem, everything wonderful eventually meets its end. Even though the students departed at 3:30 p.m., they left with the promising hopes for the formation of insightful futures, gradually cementing into reality with the sculpting expertise borne from the 3Ds: Drive, determination and dedication. We wish upon you good luck and Godspeed.

Written by Nur Dayana Azhar [Heera]
Editorial Board Writing Department

Colours of Africa : Beyond Horizons

“Youth empowerment is an attitudinal, structural, and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority, and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people.”

On the 10th of January 2015 in the banquet hall of the Royal Lake Club Kuala Lumpur, the “Colours of Africa: Beyond Horizons” Fundraising Dinner was held with the objective of raising funds for GOLD Peer Education Development Agency (GOLD). After months of tireless planning and preparation by the Rotaract and Leo Club, the dinner was held with great success. Students, staff and Guests of Honour graced the event in support of the efforts and visions to impact the lives of the young people in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

The night of dreams, the convergence of shades.

At 7.15pm, the dinner officially started as the Masters of Ceremony, Dharshan and Riya, made their entrance from the back towards the stage. They introduced the Guests of Honour, the Sponsors and welcomed everyone with pomp. The night was filled with wonderful performances from the talented TCSH community, from a harmonious Disney medley to solos, duets, Mr. Kent’s band performance and an Africanized performance of “We Found Love”. Guests were treated to a delicious banquet-style dinner.

Pomp...and circumstance.

Interwoven harmony of vocals and lots of skipping.

Many colors of Africa including can-- never mind.

In her opening speech, Ms. Lauren (TCSH principal) spoke of empowerment, trust and allowing youths to develop the abilities to make their projects a success. She commended the work of GOLD in transforming high-risk youth into peer educators that can influence change in their communities, as well as the project managers of the dinner, who successfully initiated the dinner. Be it in the banquet hall of the Royal Lake Club Kuala Lumpur or in the classrooms and communities of Southern Africa, youth leaders gave truth to the belief that “the message giver is the strongest message”. 

Message : "HAAAHAAAAA!"

Not forgetting the main objective of the night, Rotaract Club President and Organizing Chairperson, Joshua Low, recalled his experience in Africa and introduced the work of GOLD Peer Education among the youths in Southern Africa in his speech. With slides and videos, he passionately explained the vision and methodologies of the GOLD Peer Education Programme and how it has brought change to the African youths. A recorded message by Susannah Farr, the CEO of GOLD was played to top the night off. An incredible RM21000 was raised for GOLD during the dinner!

The GOLDen man.

The night, as Ms. Lauren declared, was indeed a message of empowerment and trust. In our efforts to empower others, we realize that we empower ourselves in the process. Congratulations to both the Rotaract and Leo Club for hosting a wonderful dinner!

Call animal control, there's probably a shortage in the zoo.

Written by Lee Zi Sheng
Editorial Board Writing Department

Meeting Jinnyboy and Reuben

“Oh my gosh! It’s him!” 

“Hey Jin, I’m a huge fan!” 

“Reuben is so cute in real life!” 

When Jin Lim and Reuben Kang visited Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas, students throughout the college were absolutely star struck, to say the least. The Malaysian duo are well-known for being the creators of “JinnyBoyTV”, one of the most popular YouTube channels in Malaysia. Since its initiation about two and a half years ago, they have uploaded interviews, parodies and short films such as “My GENERASI” and “ABUDEN?!” which quickly became hits on the Internet. After garnering millions of views on YouTube, it was clear that “JinnyBoyTV” was a force to be reckoned with, and fame lavished its attention not only on the channel itself, but on the lives of Jin and Reuben – which is why they were asked to share their experiences in the Alpha Theatre at TCSH on Thursday, 18th September 2014. Jin and Reuben were eagerly welcomed to the college by adoring fans who grew up watching their videos. Although the theatre filled up slowly at first, Jin and Reuben’s warm personalities soon put even the shyest of students at ease and the back of the theatre was crammed by the time they truly began the story of their journey in the world of film-making.

According to Jin and Reuben, the channel “JinnyBoyTV” started out with interviews of YouTubers such as Jayesslee (the Australian twins who are most famous for their covers of pop songs) before venturing into the world of short films. Their first short film, “Ah Wing – Malaysia’s Number 1 Salesman” was expected to receive only about ten thousand views but instead gained more than a million views. “We were really surprised! It trended on Twitter and before we knew it, the viewership had shot up to about a hundred thousand. It was crazy.” They attributed their success to the fact that making short films on YouTube was quite new in Malaysia and few Malaysian YouTubers had done what JinnyBoyTV was doing, much less become famous for it. As they continued making short films with growing popularity, Jin admitted that they still weren’t entirely familiar with, well, to put it frankly, “what they were doing” – it wasn’t until they started touring and meeting fans that they were able to gauge the impact their films had made. “We always want our films to have positive effects on our viewers. If you notice, our films usually have a moral to the story. […] We don’t produce our films only with the number of views in mind; we make films because we want to tell a story. Usually, these films are inspired by real-life events that happened to us and will contain a little truth from the event - a ‘hidden agenda’, if you will - such as the birthday of an ex-girlfriend,” Jin jokingly trailed off as the theatre burst into laughter. Both Jin and Reuben expressed their admiration for YouTube as a medium for aspiring film-makers too. “YouTube is one avenue where it’s real. On YouTube, if it’s not good, it’s not good - you’re able to ‘dislike’ things on YouTube, and your audience will tell you in your face if your material lacks “finesse”. But don’t be too discouraged; we’ve found that those who say the worst things on the Internet are often those who tell you that they’re your biggest fan in real life.” Through YouTube, they were able to meet and collaborate with YouTubers with similar interests such as David Choi, Wong Fu Productions and Ryan Higa. In fact, YoutTuber David Choi was the person who encouraged Jin and Reuben to create a YouTube account in the first place. (Thanks, David!)

In addition, Jin and Reuben shared some advice from their experience producing short films on YouTube. Jin’s favourite words of advice to those who frequently asked, “How do I shoot a film?” were those of the late Yasmin Ahmad’s, a renowned Malaysian producer: “Take your camera, and shoot.” YouTubers often find it difficult to live off their income without the support of clients who request the promotion of their brands through the YouTubers’ virtual creations, and in the process, limit the creativity of the aforementioned YouTuber. Therefore, many YouTubers refuse to entertain sponsors – in fact, Jin confessed that JinnyBoyTV rejected sponsors for three years straight. However, both Jin and Reuben eventually realised that they needed to commercialise their art. “I know a lot of artists who are superb at their art but they don’t know the business aspect of it, which is really important,” Reuben remarked. They realised that they didn’t have to make the brand the hero of their videos – they could still let their story be the hero, and that’s what they did. (Did you know that “The Rose” and “Camera Fails” were client videos? I certainly didn’t!) When asked about their biggest challenge managing JinnyBoyTV, Reuben said that it was mostly finding the time to get people pre-production and post-production. “It’s quite stressful juggling so many things and dealing with people’s expectations. When we don’t upload videos for some time, people will ask about our next video. Jin, Alan and I can get writer’s block sometimes and people don’t realise that we don’t have a team of writers to fall back on, it’s just us.” However, they promised that they had a number of exciting projects coming up, briefly mentioning an endeavour in animation and cartoons. One such project was another video about stereotypes that had not been uploaded yet. Little did the students of Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas know that they were in for a treat, they would soon be the first to watch the unaired video! All eyes were glued to the screen the entire time and laughter resounded throughout the theatre so frequently that our stomachs hurt. When the video was over, everyone applauded loudly and hooted their approvals while Jin and Reuben grinned bashfully at the side. They also played a number of uploaded videos such as “The Rose” and “Camera Fails” to our delight.
 
After that, the audience was able to ask Jin and Reuben a few questions. The first few enquiries were light-hearted and jovial. This included a question directed to Jin: “Did you freak out when you met Taylor Swift?” He replied, “I’ve met her three times already,” to which Reuben interjected, “So you could say things are pretty serious!”  We all enjoyed a good laugh, and Jin continued, “But yes, I freaked out a bit because she’s hot and smells very nice! Very tall, too. She’s almost my height when she’s not wearing heels.” A particularly gutsy student even asked Jin if he could attend TCSH’s Year End Ball, to which he unfortunately replied that that period of time would be quite busy for JinnyBoyTV. Students also asked Jin and Reuben about their individual careers. Jin has spent eight years working for “Hitz.fm” (a popular local radio station) and manages JinnyBoyTV on the side, while Reuben used to work in advertising and film production before he quit his job and is now lecturing, being featured in a sports show on Astro, playing a part in “P. Ramlee: The Musical” and managing JinnyBoyTV. Jin shamelessly confessed that he did not feel guilty making prank calls to unsuspecting victims on behalf of Hitz.fm because it was the victims’ friends who were submitting the victims’ details. Reuben, upon being questioned about his debut in the musical scene, talked about how actress Tiara Jacquelina watched JinnyBoyTV’s videos on YouTube and told him to audition for the part in “P. Ramlee: The Musical”. He had to sing and dance, but he was not completely taken by surprise because he used to take part in youth experimental theatre where he performed in KLPAC with friends a few times. The discussion quickly turned serious with questions about the future of JinnyBoyTV. When asked, “Do you expect to do YouTube videos for the rest of your lives?” Reuben answered, “Things come and go – that’s the thing about the Internet – but as long as film-making is around, we will hopefully be doing just that.” We hope so too, Reuben; we hope so too. 

After the Q&A session, Jin and Reuben stayed back to take pictures with everyone and talk to each person individually. They were kind enough to take “selfies” with each person multiple times, despite their busy schedules, and did not leave until everyone had said what they had to say and taken all the pictures they wanted to take. It was truly heartwarming to see them care so much about their fans as well as speak so humbly about their work and hard-earned success. On behalf of TCSH, thank you so much, Jin and Reuben, for visiting us and taking the time to tell us about your experiences! We wish you all the best in your future endeavours, and if you happen to be in the area, feel free to drop by TCSH at any time!

By: One half of the two girls who had to take a selfie with Jin twice because they had been photobombed the first time - THANK YOU JIN! 


On a more serious note, 

Written by Jamie Liew 
Head of Writing 
Editorial Board