MM came to NYP few days ago, on the 5th January 2009, visited the School of Interactive & Digital Media & School of Engineering, last but no least, he had a dialogue session with 10 students from various schools in NYP, to find out more about the students studying here, in NYP.
Many people are rather interested in what did MM Lee actually asked us about. I am one of the representative in this dialogue session, representing School of Engineering (Electronics), so I would be able to share with you guys about this experience.
First of all, MM Lee is a very gentle and nice man. At first, I felt very pressured, especially at the start of the dialogue session – Mr Chan Lee Mun, our very own Principal+CEO of NYP, is doing a presentation to MM Lee; I am sitting right between him and Mr Chan, whom is doing the presentation!
This makes me feel as though he was looking at me when he is actually looking at Mr Chan! I’m nervous enough already, and this just add on to my nervous-ness..
After the presentation comes to an end, we started the dialogue session. MM Lee start the session by posting questions to us, the situation is quite tensed up at first, in the sense that everyone (students) are so nervous & excited, the feeling is like as though you’re talking to your idol, and much more than that! You can almost scream the hell out. (trust me, you’ll be sooooo excited. If you’re there, you will understand what I mean 
)
After posting questions to most of the other students, and chatting with them, everyone (students) have become more relaxed, because MM Lee is very friendly to us, he joke with us, he always has a gentle smile and he really give us a feeling like as though he’s our kin. (perhaps, our grandpa ) Everyone (students) tend to be able to speak more naturally and freely, without being afraid of not being formal enough when we are answering our questions (formal in a way that we have to use very standard english, correct way of grammar and phrasing of sentences)
First of all, I’d like to say that in my opinion, I find that he asked us on rather personal question, in a sense that he don’t really ask us what is our course about or stuffs like that.
It’s quite obvious, because if his interest is in our courses, he just have to ask one of our lecturers there or simply get a brochure and read about it. He’s here to find out more (not facts and information from paper) from us, the students.
Finally, it’s my turn. I was very relaxed and natural at first, but the moment he talked to me, I became soooo nervous. My hands start to tremble, not because I am scared, it’s because I am so excited that I could hardly control my hands, I normally see him on textbooks, computer screen, television and etc – I have never seen him in person, let alone talking to him.
“AM I DREAMING?”
The kind of unrealistic feeling comes to me… Firstly, MM Lee asked me how could he pronounce my surname, “Kong”. He pronounces “Koh”, and “Korr”. (Well, it’s seriously hard to express the pronounciation using words, try asking me verbally and I will pronounce it to you), and I tell him that it is pronounced as King Kong‘s “Kong”.
(King Kong is the name of a fictional giant ape from the fictional Skull Island, who has appeared in several works since 1933 – Wikipedia)
I’m glad he laughed! Okay, that makes me a little bit less nervous. Then he asked me questions like the following:
- Do you intend to go for further studies?
- If do, do you prefer local university or oversea university?What made you make that decision (As in, why local university and why oversea university?)
- How do you plan to finance your studies in university?
- Other more personal questions, such as what does my parents work as, at where, and stuffs like that – because my father work as a business man and has a eating house, and he is going to move, MM Lee asked/chatted with me on stuffs like, why do my father want to shift location of the eating house? He is going to lose customer right? And stuffs like that~ (Yes, he is a very nice and gentle man )
- To add on to the previous point, MM also asked about things like how many sibilings do I have, where are they studying at and stuffs like that.
I believe that’s all? 
IMPORTANT: All the above “questions” are what I mentioned are what I roughly remember MM asking me (I may missed out some or mistyped any of them), they are not directly quoted from MM Lee.
We were told that the dialogue session was to end in 12 minutes’ time, but he stayed with us for around one hour if I’m not wrong, (again, I’m not 100% sure about this, it’s just a rough feel), and we (the students) went out of the room and waited for MM to come out after the interview (if you watched the news, you will know exactly what MM said during the interview – yes, there’s only one interview where MM speaks to the media regarding this visit)
Here’s the highlight for me, the group photography taking session! It’s so cool, I’m super excited even now, when I’m typing this post – I am in the picture! The same picture as MM Lee! It’s like striking TOTO or 4D and more than that!
I’m in the same picture with our very own modern Singapore’s founding father! Although he’s on the first row and I’m far away on the third row, I’m contented! Super contented already!
It’s not like everyone can get to take picture with MM Lee! I’m still waiting for the Media to send the photo to NYP’s Registrar, then they will give us (students) a copy of it. I’m really looking forward to it!
Dear fellow NYP friends of mine, let me ask you a question:
There are 5 Polytechnics in Singapore – why did MM Lee choose to visit NYP?
So What does this show?
In case you don’t know, MM Lee visited Singapore Polytechnic before, in the 1970s, and ever since then, this visit to Nanyang Polytechnic is his following visit.
And if you are from Diploma of Multimedia Infocomm & Technology, why did he choose to visit our school, School of Engineering (For example, the Hall of Innovation)?
Think about it!
Personally, I’m proud to be a NYP student, and I’m proud to be a student studying the Diploma in Multimedia Infocomm & Technology in the School of Engineering (Electronics)~!!
Since I made this post on Outside the LT, which is quoted as “one-stop station for all news, events and happenings in DMIT – Diploma in Multimedia and Infocomm Technology, NYP!”, I will post it here too.
People please support Outside the LT, it is managed by one of my favorite lecturer, Mr Edmund Teo. My fellow DMIT mates should know him pretty well 
Tags: General by Wen Bin
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BUT NOW! No more legend, I finally get the chance to meet him, so cool! Wahaha!
