Photographs: Manmadesthics #1

Introducing the first update about my new photography collection, Manmadesthics. Through this project, I hope to capture aesthetically pleasing patterns that are created by humans (hence the title of this collection). Stay tuned for more updates in the future!

Taken in Hong Kong with an iPhone 5s. Not retouched or edited. Click to enlarge.

Taken in Cibubur, Indonesia with an iPhone 5. Not retouched or edited. Click to enlarge.

Taken at University College London, London with an iPhone 5. Not retouched or edited. Click to enlarge.

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Disclaimer For Bits & Pieces

Paul Donovan’s Keys To Success

Donovan during his “Keys To Success” talk at UCL. || Apologies for the poor camera quality; click to enlarge.

Months ago, a friend who I haven’t met in well over four years invited me to attend a guest talk titled “Keys To Success” by the CEO of Odeon UCI Cinemas Group, Paul Donovan. The talk was organised by one of the entrepreneurship societies here at University College London (UCL), and honestly, I was expecting a talk focusing on specific tips and tricks for achieving business success, and ultimately decided to go because I wanted to reunite with my friend.

Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised when, 10 minutes into the talk, it became evident that Donovan’s tips would not only be useful for aspiring businessmen/women, but also for anyone who will become or is already part of the world’s workforce. Granted, many of the tips are suggestions many people have echoed throughout the years (which arguably doesn’t undermine their value anyway), but a couple, especially those with a modern day twist,  I found rather eye-opening. Overall, the eight tips he elaborated across the hour reflect the wealth of experience Donovan has under his belt, and I found them so handy as well as agreeable to that I wanted to share them here for anyone to discover.

>> About Paul Donovan

In case you are unfamiliar with Paul Donovan and might therefore be questioning his legitimacy as a speaker – much like I was before the talk -, here is a quick bullet-point summary of his career progression thus far as told by Donovan himself during the talk (and as I later corroborated online after the talk ^[1] ):

• Pre-1999: Held various commercial positions at BT, Cable & Wireless, Optus, Apple, Coca Cola, Schweppes, and Mars
• 1999 – 2000: Member of the Executive Committee, Vodafone
• 2001 – 2004: CEO, Vodafone Ireland
• 2014 – present: CEO, Odeon UCI Cinemas Group (Europe’s largest cinema operator)
• Other current roles: Non-executive directors, Millicom Cellular International and Upstream SA
• Fun fact: Donovan is a UCL (my uni!) alumnus.

>> Keys To Success

• The world is unfair, who you know counts

• Numerical reasoning is more important than you think

• Delving into the business world as a hired hand in a start-up is risky business

• A blue chip start gives your more options in the future

  A bit on the technical/stock market jargon side here, but simply put, “blue chip” refers to corporations that are reputable, oftentimes globally-recognised, and can consequently reap profit despite market fluctuations – for the most part. Examples of blue chip companies include Citigroup Incorporated, Walt Disney Company, and McDonald’s Corporation.

• Find companies that align with your values

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help and/or advice

• Pitch your opening salary at the upper quartile, not the median 

• Re-skill and up-skill on an ongoing basis

  Quick note on “re-skill” and “up-skill”, “re-skill” refers to learning new skills, whereas “up-skill” is elevating or sharpening the skills you already learnt previously.

Donovan then concluded his talk by listing the three most important personality traits that he believes make satisfying those keys to success all the more second nature: adaptability, communication, and curiosity.

>> What Do You Think?

• Can you think of anything that’s missing from Donovan’s list?
• Have you ever tried implementing any of the tips to advance your career? How did it go?
• What do you think are the three most important personality traits for achieving any type of success?

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Going On The Airwaves

A cheeky snapshot of us when we finished recording!

About a week ago, Elaine, a friend of mine who runs a radio segment on UCL’s very own Rare FM, invited me to go on her show and chat about some of the language-related aspects that baffled me when I first moved to the UK. Just a quick background info, Elaine runs a segment called “Third Culture Kids”, and it’s basically where she talks about her experiences as a, well, third culture kid (TCK) – the good, the bad, the meh. From dealing with airports to exploring international cuisines, I would definitely recommend her show to fellow TCKs and, honestly, anyone who is interested in catching glimpses of what it may be like moving to a foreign country.

To listen to her broadcasts, you can simply go on Rare FM’s website and click “Tune in!” bi-weekly on Tuesdays from 9 to 10 AM GMT. If you can’t catch her live, then not to worry, she posts all her past broadcasts on the show’s Facebook page as well, so definitely spare some time to listen to it there.

Now that the paid endorsement is done – hahah, just kidding, she didn’t ask me to post about the show; she doesn’t even know that I have a blog! I’m sharing her show because I genuinely think that it can be useful to some people out there ☺️

Anyway, as I wrote earlier, I was in the segment’s fifth episode and I got to chat a little bit about the struggles I encountered with British English slangs. Whilst this was not my first time guest-speaking on radio (a story for another time, let me know if you want to hear it haha), it was the first time I’m interviewed in such an informal, relaxed manner, so big-up to Elaine for inviting me around!

Without further ado then, please enjoy a recording of the episode. If you want to get in touch with Elaine, shoot the radio show’s Facebook a message or tweet her at @ewongyeelan. Enjoy! – I feel like I’ve used way too many exclamation marks in one post… oh well! #rebel

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