When Dreams Come True ( Finale)

The best thing about being in the national committee was that it gave a different perspective to the organisation. It gave me the experience and exposure of working for a company. And that was everything i wanted - a stepping stone for me before i ventured into a whole new world,with new beginnings, with new opportunities with new possibilities... allowing me to slowly shape the future that i wanted for myself...and at that time, it felt as if anything is possible... as long as you work towards it!

And it is with that motto that i have reached who i am and where i stand in society today.

In 2005 January,Lead by my very own friend of 5 years from USM- Hui Lin, I joined the National Committee again for the second year in a row, and worked for AIESEC Malaysia as the Director of Exchange- a position and team that truly challenged my thinking and abilities to the max! But nevertheless, the experience was truly phenomenal!

MC Election 2005/2006-UKM

It is during this year, that i managed to achieve much more than i thought i would be able to, i went for 2 intenrnational conference held in Bangladesh and also to International COngress 2005-held in India, was able to once again work with diversed team from around the world and also country. It was indeed a fulfilling year,but at the same time, i knew that this would not be my last year in AIESEC.
National Committee 2005/2006
And with that, following the advice of a very good friend of mine...and my Sis Liv Flores, I decided to run for Presidency for AIESEC in Malaysia. 6 years ago, i never thought that i would actually bring myself to run for this position, but at this point of time it was something that didnt seem so impossible anymore...

As nervous and anxious as it was the first time i ran for MC director, i gave myself everything i had just to be able to face the crowd one more time!
The MC Elections were held in Taylors Business School this time where i stood looking at my people... the people who were all there to give mandate to the next bunch of leaders who would lead AIESEC Malaysia to greater heights for the coming term...

Whether or not the organisation would entrust me with this reponsibility-wasnt the concern at that point of time, but i had already come so far in my life and i just wanted to prove to myself that i was capable of going through with this....It was the longest one hour of my life... with the interviews and speeches and so on... and after everything was over, at about 5pm that evening, the water was pourn and i was delighted to know that i was given the mandate and the trust by the respective local committee leaders to be the next leader for AIESEC in Malaysia!

You cannot imagive my joy at that point of time, as I hugged my teammates-HuiLin, Swee Li and Ren Chang, the people who have been by myside encouraging and motivating me in everything we've done together-I couldnt couldnt control myself as i was thinking of everything that we have all been through together all these years and and glad that I had another year to continue the efforts of these young and wonderful individuals!

And after 5 years being in this great and extraordinary called AIESEC, i was really honoured and proud to be the leader of such a prestegious organisation such as AIESEC. All my life, I've always wanted to be a leader, someone who would be able to stand out in society, be a role model and be recognised for his/her efforts of being a change agent....standing wet and hugging all those people that day made me realize that it was indeed a dream come true!

This is my story of how my dream came true- anything is possible,it's whether you want it or not.....

What would be your story?

When Dreams come True! ( Part 3)

I still remember the day my family and friend sent me off in KLIA... it was the proudest moment in my life... for me it was the greatest achievement of all, to be able to embark on a mission all by myself.... i knew that this would be one experience that will definately be able to put me at a better edge compared to my other friends, it would definately be am experience that will change the way i saw things in life.. it would be one experience that will bring me a long way in life... but most of all.. it would the experience that will change me forever...

But everything was different now.... i was doing an AIESEC internship with a citizens movement in Bangalore, India called Janaagraha. It was an organisation that believe in participatory democrasy. I was in charge of handling the HR department of the organisation,mainly recruitment, project allocation, and training. It was everything that i was looking for in the internship! Working with Janaagraha was indeed a dream come true... It changed my point of view on so many things about people, about the priorities we have in life, about the difference of work style, opinions, culture... yes CULTURE... Many of you might think, that being a Malaysian born Indian and doing a traineeship in India might not exactly challenge me in the area of culture... well, think again, cuz it surely did! I went with several misconceptions about india, judging the country from what i saw in the news everyday, or from what my grandpa would tell about his life when he was young in India...But staying and working in India for 5 months really made me realize that India was not just the india that i saw and heard about... There were many things that i didnt know or assumed about the country.

But anyways, after a phenomenal internship that changed my direction, priorities and life forever, i returned to Malaysia-and awaiting me was my destiny!!!
For the first time in my life, i new exactly what i wanted out of it! And for the first time in my life, i got myself the best job one could ever dream of! I joined the AIESEC Malaysia National Committee 2004/2005 a.k.a The DreamTeam2004.

If there was something my all time idol in AIESEC,Chuang Yik had taught me, was to never judge the organisation, the people and yourself by just attending one or two weekly sessions... Being part of the board was like a dream come true, some change in my destiny alright... but at that point, this is what felt right and it was definately something that i had to do for the organisation, my people and most importantly.... for ME.
Together with an extraordinary team i started this journey. It was quite challenging for me, from being a leader of an LC , who would have thought that being a leader in the National Committee would be so different. Suddenly AIESEC didnt seem to be the same organisation that i was part of... it was so different seeing the organisation from a completely different level, perspective and having to live up to the expectations of my team mates and also the LCs. It was definately something i didnt imagine it to be.... but rather... it was even BETTER!

When Dreams come True! ( Part 2)

My second year in university was extraordinary. And so was my life in AIESEC.... In my second year with AIESEC it was all about exploring... exploring the possibilities... exploring my could-do's.... exploring my interest but most of all, exploring my future career path through AIESEC.In 2002 i was just an ordinary executive in charge of In-coming Exchange and also part of the HR Training Team for my university. During this year, i tried as much as possible to learn from my seniors about the various areas and departments in AIESEC.... and of course with that slowly starting understanding my passion and my interest through the work that i was doing. I was mainly passionate about HR as meeting people have always been one thing that i have loved to do since young. But then i realized that it was not only about meeting people it was talking to them, helping them understand themselves,helping them develop themselves in the most interesting ways.

When it came to elections, I felt that i had to do what was needful for me and my organisation. It took me several months just to decide if i wanted to go fo the Vice President of Human Resource position or to run for Local Committee President itself. I would love to be the next VP HR for LC USM as i have always been inspired by the previous VP HRs and i remember saying to myself in my first year of AIESEC that, "one day... i want to be just like them, role models..." However, at the same time i felt that i should also challenge myself further to run for LCP. Of course, at that point of time, I thought that i knew everything and that i was ready to lead my LC to unimaginable height!

One month prior to elections and with a lot of guidance and support from my mum, i decided to run for( in order of preference):
1) Local Committee President
2) Vice President of Human Resource
3) Vice President of In-Coming Exchange

The 3 areas that i felt most confident being able to contribute as a leader for my LC...

It was my first time going through interviews and and all and for me, it was not something that i quite liked....I remember saying to one of my seniors that time after my interview.." This is the first and last time i go through something like this....it's mental torture.."

Anyway.... if i thought the interview was a torture... well waiting for the results was even worse! I remember having sleepless nights thinking about the results... I was really hoping that the EBs would give me a chance to lead my LC and not just view me as someone who can dance and makes people laugh. I wanted to show people that i had what it takes to be a leader...and with that i hope that my months of researching and studying for the interview would finally pay off....

Well... it was time to announce the board.... and my best friend in AIESEC at that time was elected as the in-coming Local Committee President! I remember feeling happy for her.... but at the same time i couldnt help feeling really dissapointed and sad over my "failure". During our transition camp, we were then put into our respective departments, and i was finally pronounced, VPHR.... yeah i was on top of the world... and was really eager to start my term!

As time went by, I found myself trapped in many different kinds of situations. Situations that really made me sad and depressed at times... It was the most challenging year where i experienced how different it was to work in a team where people work, think and act very differently. It was really hard working with people of different personalities...where we could never agree on ANYTHING! At that time, i felt that everything that i have in AIESEC was not worth it at all... it was just spoiling my life in university.... and the thought of just quitting from the team/AIESEC did occur many times. However... looking I'm glad i never decided to take the easy way out.

I stayed on in AIESEC that year... focusing on the people who believed in me... who were depending on me... the people who provided me with positive energy and support to carry on. I stayed back mainly for my babies that i had recruitted that year and t he year before... i wanted them to see AIESEC as how i saw it during my first year... And with that, I was able to still carry.... And i'm proud to have made the wisest decision at that time... to stay and take these moments and situations as lessons in my life...oh yea, i could have quit... but what next? Am i going to do the same everytime i run into challenges in life?Of course not, quitting is only for those whho want the easy way out for everything.... and i didnt want that for myself!

Of course, thinking back, things could have been a lot more different if i had been more mature to handle things, able to see things from different perspectives, and didnt have such a big ego! But well, those were the days and i believe the true learnings from life come from your negative experiences.... if life was always as easy and smooth going, then there will be nothing that you can learn from...or aprreciate...or improve on.,.... LIFE WOULD BE SOOOO BORING!!!

One conference that I will always remember that year,was NLDS in UUM, as the HR sisters, naturally we were in charge of the closing ceremony for NLDS... That is when my HR sisters, JEssica and Felicia .... and of course Michelle... we sang a song to conclude what we thought was the finale to a great NLDS in UUM and a great finale to our lives in AIESEC... We sang the song, At the Beginning With you... a song that truly reflected our journey in AIESEC... a song that we thought would be the last sung by us in AIESEC... I remember crying so badly at that conference, thinking that it's going to be my last year in AIESEC ( yeap despite everything that i went through... the fact was... AIESEC was still something so dear to me... ) and i couldnt imagine my life without AIESEC...

Anyway, year three in AIESEC ended as i finished my studies in university and carried on to go for an internship program in India for about 5 months right after my final paper......

When Dreams come True! ( Part 1)

In 2001,I had just entered university (USM-Penang) and Coming from a very Science oriented family, their top courses of choice ( for me) were:
1. Medicine
2. Anything related to Biology
3. It MUST be SCIENCE!!!!

I ended up doing Biotechnology ( why.........why.....whY!!!) Actually it wasnt bad, in fact it was rather interesting, studying about microbs, bacterias, genetics, fermentation.... and the list goes. I really had a great time in class... and most of all i had great coursemates...However, fortunately one friday in my third week of university i met AIESEC.

I've been with AIESEC for 5 years now. In 2001, i got to AIESEC through a bunch of seniors who kept talking about "eye-zack".They talked about stuff i never knew or had heard about.... they talked terms that were alien to me... I heard management, i heard commerce, i heard economics..... i heard my head say "Run Anisha...RUN!!!!"

However, due to some unforseen circumstances ( which i do not wish to disclose) I took a pen that was on the table and quietly wrote down my name, e-mail and number. And that was it! Ever since, there has not been a single day without AIESEC in my life..

Feeling rather sceptical, i went for "Malam Mesra" the feeling was different, even though the room was filled with people i didnt know - except for a few friends of mine who joined together with me, I somehow rather felt quite at ease. The evening started with a dance by the same seniors who talked to us at the booth the other day. What amazed me was, the fact that everyone regardless of the personality,race, sex, size.....whatever laa... but they gave me the impresion of unity in diversity... and that was something that really attracted... Okay okay... besides the fact that i love dancing too...:P

Anyway Malam mesra went and I kept going for the weekly sessions.... I remember that i use to wait for the end of the session, just to able to learn and do the dances with everyone! Hehe.. But besides that, it was quite tensed for me, because the content of the weekly meetings were still alien to me. Or maybe it was because i couldnt find my relevance in this organisation??? Anyway i tried to push my doubts and uncertainities to one side, cuz someone wise ones told me" Never judge @ from just one or 2 weekly sessions.... but stay for a semester, and then if you wanna leave.... then leave!"-Lim Chuang Yik 2001/2002

And that's what i did! I stayed on, and attended the local leadership development seminar ( LLDS) in teluk bahang.... it was the last chance i was giving AIESEC, if i still felt the way i was feeling, then I'd leave!

LLDS came and of course as any of other @ USM events, I had a great time. The meaning of family so apparent here... Anyways LLDS changed my life forever, and I owe everything i am today this simple but yet life changing experience conference. I still remember, i was part of a group and we called ourselves "The KungFu Fighters" My group mama was Reese and my father eloped with another girl.. Hehe...

Personal and professional development sessions and activities were held through out the seminar but something i was really attracted to was the Exchange simulations that they organised for us. Before LLDS, i had no idea what was happening in the weekly meetings but suddenly it all came to me... And it was just after the Exchange simulation that i finally found something i that could do...something that was really different from my past experiences/interest but yet something that I really wanted to challenge myself by.... And ever since that simulation, i've always found myself more and more drawn to things like marketing, sales, leadership and so on... I remember i used to reherse and practice my "sales pitch" before every appointment, and bug Jon a.k.a Sotong if i had any questions or if i thought of possible questions from the company representatives that i may not be able to answer during my meets-selling ITEP! I really prepared myself for every appointment because i had my pride, i had my ego... and i didnt want to be "pai seh-ed" in front of some CEO or something...

And with that, I became more and more involved with AIESEC....