CKSAP in Hanoi

The last 2008 CKSAP interview commenced in Hanoi with Mr. Hai.

Mr. Hai is the CEO of the Alphanam Corporation, and a very successful enterpreneur. His motto is to always go one step ahead of others. During our interview, he advised young leaders to inherit values, and to raise the bar. Also, he commented that one should not get arrogant and overconfident. His thoughts on what differentiates a good leader and a great leader ist he fact that a good leader will get his work done, but a great leader will get his work done and go the extra mile. The most important thing, he stressed, is that family is the most important, and that it’s quality over quantity-not the opposite.

After the interview, we bid each other adieu and departed.

CKSAP in Ho Chi Ming

Did anyone happen to think that 2008’s CKSAP ended in Singapore? Apparently, this year’s CKSAP is making a diverse trip all around Asia, this time to Vietnam.

In Ho Chi Ming, I interview Mr. Yoshioka, the Director of the Ho Chi Ming branch of JETRO. Mr. Yoshioka is a very calm and collected person who is an advocate of giving work to the proper person at the right time. One important skill that Mr. Yoshioka believes leaders must have is the skill to assess things logically. Also, he recommended reading biographies, and to learn from the successes and failures of others. My last question was to ask if he had any advice for young leaders. He replied, “Set goals, read, and study.”

CKSAP in Singapore

CKSAP didn’t just end after Megan and Simon left Taiwan! CKSAP took a nifty turn and ended up in Singapore.

In Singapore, I was given the oppurtunity to interview Ms. Mary, CEO of Bridge Telecom, an entrepreneur. to start off, Ms. Mary told me a little about herself. Apparently, she started working while she was 19! Ms. Mary greatly values integrity, trust, and passion towards work. Her advice: study hard and enjoy lifelong learning. After about an hour, we closed off the interview and took a few pictures.

National Taiwan University College of Medicine

Remember when we interviewed the dean of the National Taiwan University? This time, we interviwed the dean of the National Taiwan University’s Medical School. (The NTU Medical School is one of the colleges within the NTU.)

During the interview, we asked two rounds of questions, and we learned about the importanceof integrity and about his views on GM (gene modification). Apparently, Dr. Yang has done much research in that field. After the interview, (as usual,) we took photos, and then were handed gifts. Afterwards, we left, and this year’s CKSAP program was declared offically over.

-Christina

The Taiwan Broadcasting Station

When we arrived at the TBS, we first took some pictures, and then we were given a tour of the TBS building. We started off touring the recording rooms, and we even saw a live show in progress! (Due to the reporter’s request for a pair of sunglasses, Tom’s sunglasses had a 10 second “moment of fame” on live TV. Afterwards, we visited the props room, which takes up a whole floor. We learned that most of the props are made of wood, and that all the plants they use are fake. After our tour, we were led to a meeting room, and we started the interview.

Ms. Feng, (sister of Ms. Feng at the Mandarin Daily News,) told us about the importance of integrity and teamwork. She also articulated about her job and how she managed her people. Quick-witted and extremely intelligent, Ms. Feng answered all our questions and more. After the interview, we took pictures and departed.

-Christina

Editor-in-Chief of the Mandarin Daily News

The Mandarin Daily News is unique. It’s nota newspaper aimed for an audience of everyone; it’s a children’s newspaper!

That morning, when we arrived in the lobby of the Mandarin Daily News office, we were greeted with a sight of many milling people, and a book shop. After staring at our surroundings for a full 30 seconds, we were greeted by a representative who led us up to a meeting room and showed us an introductory movie about the Mandarin Daily News. After the movie, we were led on a tour of the building.

The Mandarin Daily News building isn’t just an office; it’s a learning place for kids. The top floor is a recreation floor for kids resting between lessons, and waiting adults. The other floors contain a library, a music corner, an Arts corner, and various other areas and corners. After the tour, we ambled into Ms. Feng, the editor-in-chief’s, office. We sat down on the various couches and chairs, and the interview began. We discovered that Ms. Feng highly prizes integrity, and that she was influenced by the former editor-in-chief to take her current job. She answered the questions quickly and precisely. After two rounds of questions, we took pictures, and then left for our other interview.

-Christina

The Cathay Charity Group

When we entered the Cathay Charity Group headquarter meeting room, a long rectangular-shaped table, leather swivel chairs, and complimentary waters greeted our eyes. We sat down, and prepared to interview Mr. Chien. Five minutes later, he entered the room, and greetings resounded throughout the room. We stood up, handed him our presents, and the intereview commenced.

As usual, I started out the interview with my question: what qualities must a great leader have? “Integrity,” he replied. Mr. Chien taught us to not take things for granted; we have our life a whole lot easier than many other kids, especially the ones in underdeveloped countries. After a long conversation filled with many questions and interesting answers, we bade each other goodbye.

-Christina

Photo album is updated

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Tour of the Presidential Palace – and we meet the Vice President!

This morning, we were crowded in the meeting room at my aunt’s office when Mom dropped the bomb. “Guess what,” she proclaimed, “we may have a chance to meet the Vice President today!” After a few raised eyebrows and a few “whoa”s, we dogpiled into our private van and raced off to the Presidential Palace.

When we arrived, our belongings were checked and taken away for safekeeping. Simon forgot his wallet. (We will come to explore the significance of this event later.) We were not allowed to take bags in, so we had to carry our precious belongings by hand. After the check, we proceeded in and the tour started.

Did you know that the Presidential Palace is shaped in the shape of the Chinese character ri? Apparently, the building was built during the time Japan owned Taiwan, and the ri character was the first character in the word ri ben, which means “Japan”. We didn’t just learn about that. Along with other interesting facts, we saw the clothes that the previous presidents wore! After walking through multiple rooms and gazing at notebooks, we arrived at the gift shop. (Now, does anybody realize the importance of Simon’s wallet?) Within 30 seconds of entering the shoppe, Simon discovered that he forgot his wallet. After sulking for about five minutes, he was back to his energetic and perky self. Megan, however, brought her wallet with her.

Then, we were alerted: We would have the chance to have a quick two minute photo and handshake session with the Vice President! Excited, we tromped on to the meeting room and rested for a few minutes until he came in.

When the Vice President arrived, we all stood up and shook his hand, and then the photo session commenced. After the session, the Vice President left, and so did we.

~Christina

Yesterday

Yesterday we met two people, The editor in chief of the best kids newspaper in Taiwan and the President of a TV station that owns four channels. That was all very fun. They actually were sisters. They both seemed to say that in life you must be patient. We got lots of tours from them they had all kinds of departments. We got to see how they  need them when they were filming because we were in the room when they were filming. That was very fun. We also had a wonderful dinner. It was with legislator Liao. She was so nice and was very humble. She said that in life you have to take the chances that you get. After the dinner I was very full and I think everyone else was too. Sorry I didn’t write yesterday, I was planning on writing last night but i was to tired and went straight to bed.