Ee Chuan: Memoirs of the Current Age

Business Learning from Youtube

2011-10-15T21:05:00.001-07:00

I've been spending quite a lot of my leisure time watching youtube music videos of popular Korean, Japanese and American/English music groups and it struck me that I could also be trawling youtube to search for interesting business learning opportunities relating to topics of interest.

This was partly sparked off by the fact that I'm already spending time on youtube for leisure, why not for business? I also happened to read an article about how educators should consider harnessing youtube, blogs etc. as part of teaching and learning to enhance the interactiveness of teaching relative to the traditional methods of teaching i.e. lecture/teacher speaking most of the time.

Technology today is such as enabler of better business processes in various fields and internal auditing is no exception. I realise there is really tremendous potential for harnessing youtube for learning and sharing opportunities.

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Professional speaking experiences for 2010 and 2011

2011-10-15T01:02:00.001-07:00

Ever since I had to do training as part of my job in a systems integrator as an IT security consultant, I have been speaking at conferences related to IT audit, security, governance and for the last two to three years on internal audit, procurement risks, data analytics and related areas.

This is to help me remember the speaking engagements as Linkedin caps the number of characters I can put in my profile.

ISACA Singapore Chapter TACS 2011 (7 Oct 2011) - "Audit Testing ERP Applications and Connecting with Cloud"
SingHealth Supply Chain Management Congress (25 Aug 2011) - "Identifying Procurement Risk from an Audit Perspective"
Fraud Management for Government & Educational Institutions (22 Aug 2011) - "Control and Compliance in Public Sector Procurement"
One day Workshop on Fundamentals of Fraud Awareness (for NP staff on 6 April 2011)
NP School of Business and Accountancy - Audit Modules: Audit Communications Skills (8 Feb 2011), Audit Evidence (2 June 2011)
Public Sector Finance World Asia 2010 (7-8 Dec 2010) - Chairman for both sessions and presenter of "Using Data Analytics to Enhance Spend Management Control in the Public Sector"
Public Sector Procurement Asia 2010 (17-18 August 2010)

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Internal Audit Careers

2011-08-15T02:33:00.001-07:00

Internal Audit is actually an interesting career niche for those whose background are in accountancy, business or finance. Most internal auditors are accounting or finance trained but there are many quality auditors, IT auditors, process auditors that are from other disciplines. To get a sense of the demand, one should look to the job sites for careers in internal audit.

http://sg.jobsdb.com/SG/EN/Search/FindJobs?Key=internal%20audit&SearchFields=Positions&JobCat=0&KeyOpt=COMPLEX&JSRV=1&RLRSF=1

http://job-search.jobstreet.com.sg/singapore/job-opening.php?key=internal+audit&specialization=130&position=&ss=1&by=search&src=11

http://careers-gov-search.jobstreet.com.sg/Careers-Gov/job-opening.php?key=internal+audit&specialization=1000&qualification=&organization=

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Internship for Undergraduates interested in Internal Audit

2011-08-03T22:47:00.001-07:00

I recently worked with an intern who is currently studying University of London's Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance. She helped in some of the projects we did to enhance our department's quality assurance as well to help in some data import and analysis in building an audit risk model. I realised from that experience that it was useful to bring someone in to assist in working on projects that would be more challenging to do whilst we are busy with day-to-day operational work requirements.

If you are currently pursuing an undergraduate programme with a recognised university (public or private) in Singapore with an interest in internal audit or internal controls or data analytics using computer-assisted-audit-tools, you can drop me a note at yekker at gmail.com to register your interest. Basically, I can take in one intern at a time. If your course of study is in business, accounting, finance and even IT related, you can consider applying. Our organisation pays $800 a month and the internship period can range from 3 to 6 months.

I am not particularly fussy over the course of study as I'm taking in only those who have interest in internal audit, controls or data analytics related areas.

This opportunity is available starting from August 2011 whilst the internship is still vacant as my previous intern has completed her two month stint with us.

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Getting Kindle in iPad SG

2011-05-25T01:44:00.001-07:00

24 May 2011 (Tuesday)

I managed to set up Amazon account and purchase Kindle eBooks and read them on my iPad without having to get a US credit card. Your mileage may vary and the systems may change but here's how. The critical bit is actually to use a proxy or in my case a paid VPN service based in US.

Set up for free/paid VPN service with host based in the US. (I use strongVPN - costs USD 55 for 1 year) for your PC
Go to Amazon.com and register for an account using gmail or email address (preferably doesn't end with .sg)
In Amazon.com - Register information - for address can put US address (use Vpost's address) to that you can buy Kindle eBooks which is NOT officially supported in SG
In Amazon.com - buy gift certificate using paypal
In iPad, (sign out of your SG iTunes account under settings) Go Appstore app and download a free app
In iPad - create a new iTunes (US) account - the options allow you to specify US address and nil for US credit card
In iPad - upon successful creation of iTunes (US) account, download Kindle app for iPad
In Amazon.com - add your Kindle device (and others iPhone, PC) to your account
In Amazon.com - start buying eBooks and sending them to your device

Remember to login to the VPN (to make sure your source IP is in US) before going amazon.com to buy your kindle ebooks. VPN is not needed for iPad (but it's a good practice for better IT security) Your mileage may vary, but the above steps worked for me and I referred to the following source as reference:

References:

http://www.pluitsolutions.com/2010/07/25/how-to-purchase-kindle-books-from-singapore/

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Sentosa Stay 2011

2011-05-11T01:33:00.001-07:00

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Ariele 2011 by Animoto

2011-05-11T00:55:00.001-07:00

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Ariele at Marina Barrage

2010-10-25T02:07:00.001-07:00

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

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My Outward Bound Singapore Adventure

2010-10-25T01:52:00.001-07:00

My organisation was at Outward Bound School on Pulau Ubin last week and it was a blast climbing up obstacles and cheering fellow team mates and colleagues on to overcome the challenges.

I've been to a couple of retreats in various organisations and must say that it was one of the more enjoyable ones I've attended. Typical corporate retreats are long on wordy mission and vision statements followed by drawing of impossibly convoluted strategy maps linking individual unit strategies to the overarching mission of the organisation. However, this round, our organisation focussed on team building in day one and followed by more of brain storming of ideas to generate more sparks that we can ignite for the fire to drive us towards our long-term goals.

Even as I ponder on the fun and enthusiasm generated from the corporate retreat. The challenge would be to align my own small little internal audit team's mission and objectives upwards and to make meaningful connections.

How were your own corporate retreats? Do you think these are useful team building and goal setting activities?

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Arielle's First Animoto 30s Video

2010-10-06T21:33:00.001-07:00

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

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I Wear My Sunglasses in the Day

2010-09-11T16:42:00.001-07:00

Sent from my iPhone

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Untitled

2010-07-30T18:58:00.001-07:00

Sent from my iPhone

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Untitled

2010-06-02T02:38:00.001-07:00

Sent from my iPhone

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Operating platform 17 May 2010

2010-05-16T22:50:00.001-07:00

Sent from my iPhone

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Career Opportunities in Ngee Ann Polytechnic (7 May 2010)

2010-05-06T18:59:00.001-07:00

Career Opportunities in NP

(7 May 2010, closing date: 22 May 2010)

http://www.np.edu.sg/home/aboutnp/jobs/Pages/default.aspx

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Tool(s) of the Trade - The Simple but Powerful Casio D-40M 14 Digit Calculator

2010-05-05T23:32:00.001-07:00

One of the most simple yet useful tools used by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) is the calculator. As an internal auditor, part of my job involves certifying returns or funding requests to our parent Government agency on a periodic basis. There are also research grants funding some of our Centres of Innovation technology development efforts and most grant agencies require the respective grantees internal auditor to certify that the monies have been spent in accordance to the provisions of the funding agreement.

The calculator you see here is the model that I have been using since 1997. This tool has been with me through some tumultuous times, including the fall of Suharto in Indonesia and through dot.com bust and SARs. It has also gone through subprime with me doing its job of letting me add up long columns or rows of financial and related figures quickly and expeditiously.

If you are an aspiring CPA, it is essential for you to master the use of a good calculator to cast long figures. If you cannot use a calculator (of your own choice) well, then hard to call yourself a true-blue CPA :-)

What model of calculator do you use in your work :-)

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DBS Annual General Meeting 30 April 2010

2010-05-03T01:37:00.001-07:00

I attended the DBS AGM and it was a very interesting experience. You get to see that most shareholders who attend this AGM are older in their 50s or so and mostly men. Many of them appear to be retirees and can ask pretty interesting questions.

I think this is going to be my new past-time, to attend AGM of companies I own shares to get a chance to ask the Directors on strategy and executing operations.

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Brown fails to get needed debate win

2010-04-29T17:36:00.001-07:00

British PM loses final leaders' debate despite focus on economy, after "bigot" gaffe in last 24 hours.

Gordon Brown needed to win - and win big. He didn't.

The third and final leaders' debate seemed set just for him - it was on the economy. Not only did he spend 10 years as UK finance minister, he was hailed as one of the reasons the global financial crisis didn't become a depression rather than a recession.

But it had been a difficult 24 hours. He'd called a grandmother who was a life-long Labour supporter "a bigoted woman" in a private conversation which was caught by a microphone and had to make a public apology. It was the most disastrous miss-step of what is becoming a disastrous campaign.

He addressed the issue in his opening statement which he really had to do. It was just one line but it was enough.

Nick Clegg, the winner of the first two debates and leader of the Liberal Democrats, seemed to struggle to get into the debate as David Cameron slugged it out with Brown on inheritance tax for the well off and credits for those not so well off. For those who've argued these first ever televised debates in UK were more about style than substance, this was the antidote. This was heavy on policy and the politics behind it.

Nick Clegg scored points when he criticised a bank - bailed out by British taxpayers - for helping to fund a foreign takeover of a UK firm which then led to job losses. A few heads in the audience nodded in agreement.

For the third time in three debates immigration was a question from the floor. It remains a deep concern to the voters, second only to the economy - a fact the leaders appear not yet to have grasped.

And so through housing, and education and taxation we went, as the debate lost some of its fire.

The final statements gave the leaders the chance to set out their case to the millions watching at home. David Cameron insisted it was an election about values and after Labour's failures over the last 13 years, he was ready to bring something fresh to the country.

Nick Clegg talked fresh too - insisting it was time to break away from the two parties who have shared the reins of power for 65 years. And Gordon Brown ended saying the other two didn't have the experience to handle the job, to make the difficult decisions, and that threatened the economic recovery. All the appeals were impassioned and heartfelt but really, were nothing new.

The instant poll gave victory to David Cameron with 35 per cent. Gordon Brown's figures reflected his collapsing campaign. There was no breakthrough – he came third on 26 per cent. And Nick Clegg, winner of the first two debates, had to be content with a close second

These debates have changed the face of this election – of that there's no doubt. They will, I'm sure, change the face of British politics forever, but that is a post for another day.

Each party is claiming - some say spinning - that it did best. But as all the leaders remarked, it's now up to the public to decide who won when they go to the polls on May 6.

Topics in this blog
People
David Cameron

Gordon Brown

Nick Clegg

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Dialogue in the Dark Official Launch Today at 11 AM Ngee Ann Polytechnic

2010-04-27T17:56:00.001-07:00

I'll be attending the official launch of Dialogue in the Dark in our own campus. For those of you who may not be aware this is what Dialogue in the Dark (DiD) is about from the DiD website:

What if you had to go through your daily routine without seeing anything?

Dialogue in the Dark (DiD) Singapore puts visitors in everyday situations - except in complete darkness. Simple things like crossing the street or visiting a hawker centre suddenly become extraordinary challenges.

Blind guides lead visitors through simulated environments. In the darkness, visitors are forced to rely on their other senses. Role reversal takes place. The blind become the ones with mobility and confidence.

Darkness opens visitors to new ways of experiencing the world around them. Visitors learn what it means to live without sight. In having to navigate darkened environments, they also appreciate the value of effective communication and understand those who see the world differently.

Dialogue in the Dark Singapore is an exclusive collaboration between Ngee Ann Polytechnic (through Social Lab Ltd) and Dialogue Social Enterprise. Originally founded in Germany, Dialogue in the Dark has reached 30 countries since 1988, impacting over six million visitors and creating thousands of jobs for the visually impaired.

Let's see if I can do some mobile microblogging from LT26 later at 11 AM. :-)

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Public Speaking Profile

2009-06-30T05:15:00.000-07:00

As my little grey cells become more overworked with age, I need to rely on external mechanisms such as this blog to help me track the presentations I've done starting from June 2009 as well as what I can google. I've also spoken at security seminars in Kuala Lumpur.

Governance, Internal Audit and Risk in the Public Sector - Asia Business Forum - 22 to 23 June 2009 at Royal Plaza at Scotts
Unleash the Creativity in Your Child - HomeTeam NS - 25 May 2007
Internet Security Techniques To Deter Snooping, Sniffing and Surveillance - Singapore Microcomputer Society - 11 August 2006
IT Security Certifications: Hype or Reality - Singapore Microcomputer Society - 23 April 2004
Internet and Email Security - Knowledge is Your Only Defence - Singapore Microcomputer Society - 5 September 2003
SIG^2 CISA/CISM Briefing - 18 Jan 2003
Excuse Me, Are You a Hacker - Singapore Microcomputer Society - 6 September 2002
Internet Security Essentials for the Internet SuperHighway - Singapore Microcomputer Society - 3 May 2002

Ee Chuan (online)

2008-12-22T22:14:00.000-08:00

Here is my Linkedin Profile.

To contact me, email to yekker at gmail.com

or

Twitter me.

Memoirs of a singaporean citizen, lost in the sea of globalisation

2007-06-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

Whenever I visit Borders and Kinokuniya, I am facinated by the lives and times of famous people. Biographies of people living and people dead. Each of their lives are so different from our own perceived ordinariness where the most exciting thing we think happened to us was being able to catch the bus or the train before it left the station.

I have wanted for some time to write my own memoirs but have always delayed starting with many excuses. Oh, my life is so uninteresting, nobody would read my memoirs. There are 1001 people who have more exciting things to say, I'll just bore everyone to tears.

Excuses after excuses continue to flood my mind until I decided to cut through the procrastination and get right down to it, start by writing a blog post as a way to begin.

I hope to be able to share a little bit more about the journey I have taken so far, and to continue to share as I live life through the eyes of someone who has gone through slightly less than four decades in this tiny red dot: A piece of land, an idea, a red and white flag with 5 stars and a crescent moon. To be able to share, to relate and to connect.

Here I am, ready to start my journey of writing my memoirs, one post at a time.