I Wonder....

Ethan Tan @ KKBC

2009-10-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

Bonjour/Bonsior/Bon nwee everybodee...

Sorry keep delaying the blogging!
Kinda busy with my activities (Cake deco class, baking, clay etc) and maybe a wee bit lazy... Haha!
Anyway here it goes... Don't have much planned on what to write in my head now BTW...

Just before leaving I did some very very very last minute thank you cupcakes (These ones were milk chocolate swirls.) for Ethan after the interview. Aunty Wai Leng ended up giving it to 'him' because I was kinda (Pick a word) it got 50-60% squashed traveling :( Sob! Oh yes and I forgot mummy told we to NEVER make butter cream or choco butter cream swirls cause they MIGHT squash... Oh well! Should I stick back to certificates?

I thought the interview would start after the talk (So that we could maybe get a bit more questions to ask and more knowledge about it) but it ended up starting before...

I am not a very good photographer though... The 'Blogger' (ZW) said I did a bad job haha! Anyway what there to photograph in a meeting room? Ethan putting his hands on his head and going very red (<- Ha) , Elliot giggling (Haha), Me and ZW exchanging smiles, laughter and a lot more giggles (Hahaha!)??

I don't think I have much to say about the Subject: Logos hope in the interview...
Somehow... I am not sure how... Maybe I could only hear does... More of the questions became like about girlfriends and does type-a things... Double haha! It was very ear opening and it was extremely funny watching Ethan answer does questions!

I think me and ZW laughed our heads of after the interview... We caught the laughing sickness this interview.

The talk was a lot more informative :D

I had a good time laughing during this interview! Thanks for making me laugh!

Ah beean toh! (<- Don't know how to spell that...)

KLJY

Ethan Tan (By Zen Wei)

2009-10-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

I was really curious to meet this Ethan Tan, who was also a homeschooler. I heard that he worked on a ship called the Logos Hope. What did he do on the ship? What type of ship was it? Where was the ship sailing to? What was his side of life like? I have never met anyone who has been at sea. My mom dropped me off at aunty Wai Leng's house at about 11am for study group. After that, at about 1pm or so, we headed to KKBC for the talk/interview. A few people started coming in 3pm (actually, the talk was suppose to begin at 3). Soon, Jian Lin and Jian Yi arrived. Jian Lin's mom, aunty Swee Bin, suggested that we do the interview first since many people had not arrived yet. We took the items that we needed for the interview and, with Ethan and Eliot (Ethan's younger brother) following us, we went to one of the rooms towards the back. Soon, we were all seated. Jian Lin begin asking questions while Amrita started writing down the answers. Jian Yi took a few photos and also asked a few questions every now and then. Ethan looked quite nervous, actually. I guess he has never been asked so many questions on and in his life.

Blogger: ZW
Copy and paster: KLJY

Interview with Jon Yap @ Starbucks@ Borders@ Gardens Mid valley

2009-10-07T04:33:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone!
I am back... So happy to blog again!

It was very hard to wake up this morning... Yawn slept at 1 AM! Couldn't sleep because of the stinky mosquitoes!!! Papa played with the electric racket with the mosquitoes haha!

I am so happy I found my 'Ultimate bragging rights' T-shirt! One of my favourite lost shirts I found in PD last week :P Wore that T-shirt today... Somehow I cannot find my favourite pair of jeans :( Must dig my clothes pile.

Oh yes yes yes yes! I made a thank you cupcake for our interviewee :D Which got slightly smashed in the car ride... Make fondant ones next time if I am going to travel! Must remember that! I make a very cute 'Thank you' sign with paper, black and pink gel pens and a floral wire :D The cupcake I drew on it looked cute also haha!!!

For breakfast Uncle Jon bought me a HUGE cupcake of English breakfast tea! Yeah, I am having tea in a coffee place T_T I just don't fancy coffee or at least not yet...

The HUGE cup-a-coffee had 2 tea bags (Which made it taste bitter-ish), it was so bitter that I had to put in 5 (Imagine that!) packets of sugar to make it taste normal-ish! Went around hunting for a pack of creamer or milk because the tea didn't look very tea-ish yet... The lady at the counter gave me a full cup of milk! OMG! (I ended up drinking most of it afterwards!)

I don't have the answers with me now though... But I do have the questions. Actually I am not supposed to be the one blogging! Yes, I am somehow blogging for Aunty Swee Bin, who likes me to blog :D

Oh yes and Uncle Jon has his dream job! WOW!

I think I will leave the Q And A to the actual blogger because I don't remember the full answer!

After the interview we had lunch together, Uncle Jon went back to do his stuff.

At 2.00 pm will be my first Wilton cake deco class! There are 3 courses (4 lessons each course. Once a month) and after does 3 you will be a qualified Wilton instructer! WOW! That's my dream job haha! Pity it was cancelled because I was the only student! Sob! But luckily I will be going to the Hartamas one tomorrow but it will be on the second lesson, I will have the first lesson replaced after I finished the second.

Cant wait for tomorrow! The class starts at 10 AM! Have to wake up early because Sri Hartamas is kinda far away...

Your blogger (Not! Amrita or ZW will be the actual blogger)

Your interviewer,

KLJY/Cupcake Karens

The interview with the doctor

2009-09-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

Jian Yi and I were smsing each other before she arrived for the interview. I was quite excited about the interview! I was looking forward to this day! Then Jian Yi replied to my sms saying that her neighbor, Swathy would not be able to come so it would just be Zen Mae (my younger sister), Jian Yi and I. Over the sms, I found out from Jian Yi that she forgot to bring her paper of questions for the interview! I thought that she had copied down my questions for the interview on that paper but she said that she didn't! So as soon as Jian Yi arrived, we both quickly went online and copied down my questions but there was not enough time so we only managed to copy down less than 5 questions. But I could remember a few more. Jian Yi said that she would try to remember the questions that she made during the interview.

At last, the interview begun. I started off with asking the questions while Jian Yi started writing down the answers that my dad answered to the questions. Zen Mae was going around taking pictures with camera. My dad then showed us a few pictures on the iPod of how one of the operating instruments look like and other things they did inside the operating theatre.

We were halfway or so when my dad said that it was time to go out for dinner before the roads got crowded since the malays were going to start to

buka puasa soon so we could continue the interview later. We were planning to go to Chilli's at KLCC but my mom said that the roads were really jammed so we ate at Kayu, a nearby restaurant.

After dinner, my dad said that we could continue the rest of the interview back at my house. We finished off the rest of the interview with a couple more of questions. We then presented the certificate to my dad. Zen Mae took a photo of my dad holding the certificate with Jian Yi and I in the photo as well (shown on left hand side). Here are the questions and answers from

the interview:

1. Q: Have you had any other type of doctor careers before you became a urologist?

A: I worked in the Emergency Department and was also a General Doctor (Normal ward work, takes care of patients) in Penang Hospital.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Q: How long have you been a urologist?

A: 6 years.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Q: Why did you want to be a urologist?

A: Because it is an interesting career.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. Q: How many urologists are there in the hospital you are currently working in?

A: Only 2 because there are only 60 urologists in Malaysia.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. Q: How many urologists are you working with?

A: 1. But the whole team has a total of 10 doctors.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. Q: Have you worked in any other hospitals?

A: Penang Hospital and Balik Pulau.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

7. Q: What role does the kidney play in the body?

A: The kidney plays 7 roles, actually. (Here are a few)

1. Keeps the body clean of waste

2. Orders body to produce blood cells

3. Takes care of blood pressure

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

8. Q: What is the most dangerous problem that can happen to our kidneys?

A: Our kidneys can grow stones until it can block the kidneys.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

9: Q: What are kidney stones? How do they form?

A: If you don't drink enough water, then the urine will become concerntrated and will start

to form crystals in your kidneys. The crystals join up together and get bigger and bigger until it becomes a stone. The stone will grow bigger and bigger until it fills up the whole

kidney (the kidney is 12-14cm in length).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

10. Q: How long can you live without a kidney?

A: Not long. For a few days.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

11. Q: Is it easy to get a transplanted kidney?

A: There are two ways. One is if it is donated by a relative or spouse. The other way is you can get a transplanted kidney from people who have passed away.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

12. Q: Are operations more regularly held in the private or public ward?

A: The public ward.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

13. Q: How long does it usually take for an operation to finish?

A: 30 minutes to 8 hours

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

14. Q: Did your parents support you?

A: Yes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

15. Q: Did you want to work as anything else?

A: Neurosurgery.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

16: Q: What are your future plans?

A: To be successful in my work.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

17: Q: What drugs do you use (to put the patients to sleep before an operation starts?)

A: Someone else does it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

18: Q: Which university did you go to to study medicine?

A: The National University of Malaysia

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The interview turned out quite okay actually even though there were not much people! I really think I Wonder is a fantastic and excellent idea! I am really looking forward to the next interview (if there is one).

I'm Zen Wei, this interview's blogger. Thank you. :-)

A visit to Safety Pest Control

2009-08-12T02:54:00.000-07:00

It was really hard for me to sleep last night because I was just too excited for the interview the next day! I don't exactly know my Dad that well so it should be a rather interesting experience for me!

We were only suppose to meet up at about 10:00 am but I had to wake up at 7:00 am to make a loaf of bread and 6 buns that Zen Wei A.K.A ZW ordered! I found out it was storming again, I didn't like the feeling of baking alone down stairs in a storm!

I found my Mama (That means grandmother in Cantonese not mother) awake, I felt much more at ease baking! I didn't have much of a problem baking the buns but when I started adding ingredients into the mixing bowl for the bread I felt as if I was about to puke and had a bit of stomach ache! Not wanting to contaminate my customer's bread I went into the study room to sit down...

My Dad came down after his morning shower and offered to help me make the loaf of bread. The loaf of bread didn't rise though... I am not sure why.

After that I ended up kneading my bread sitting down and having my grandma feeding me my Milo! Who says your family members are not around when you really need them?!

I tapped my cake this morning it was solid rock hard!!! I hope it thaws out LOL!

********************************************************

Amrita car pooled with us to my Dad's office, Eu Fai and Eu Han went to Aunty Wai Leng's house.

I was quite curious on how Aunty Swee Bin and Jian Lin looked like... Hm...

Once we met up in my Dad's office we went down to have our breakfast at KFC while the adults went to have Madam Chiam's Pan mee. We ordered some Pop corn chicken and Pepsi for all of us to share but only me, ZW and Zen Mae A.K.A ZM ended up eating though... LOL

Our interview Q and A:

What type of pesticides are the most popular ones?
A: Normally our customers are very aware of health and environment issues. It is very important to provide them the best pesticides for the best feed backs. Some of our best ones come from Germany because during world war 1 or 2 the Jews were used to be tested on this chemicals.

How did you learn to manage this business?
A: This business first started with my Dad in 1972. I have only come to manage this business in 1995, when I left the Bank of America. This business used to be a home based business because you only need to communicate to your clients thru the telephone or hand phone. The field technicians will meet up at our house very early in the morning to get their To-do-list. I learnt management thru observing my Dad work..

Do you have any future plans for your business?
A: This business to me is just a stepping stone to something bigger. I want to keep it as small and manageable as possible. I don't want to involve my self too much in this business.

How many clients house's do you visit in a day?
A: It's hard to say but at an average 5 clients in a day. Sometimes it reaches up as high as 9 or as low as 2 in a day.

How many clients visit your office in a day?
A: Clients don't really visit my office, it's very seldom.

What made you want to run this business?
A: My Dad made me run this business because there is no one else to take over it.

Did school help you run this business?
A: Yes, the most important subject that helped me out was geography. It helps me know where I can find the pest that I am looking for.

How do you customers know about your business?
A: Through word of mouth and advertisements.

How many employees do you have and what are their tasks?
A: I have about a dozen employees. 2 of them handle the administration work (Paper work and receptionist) the rest of them are field technicians.

How much do your field technicians usually earn?
A:They earn from about RM750 to RM2000. If they come in as an entry level they may only get RM750.

What are the obstacles do you have in your business this moment?
A: The slow payments from our clients and the high price for the materials. Other than that our business is running smoothly.

After the interview we went to the back alley to have a fogging machine demonstration. I was told that the fogging machine if very similar to a jet engine. Fogging is mainly used to kill flying insects but the others also get infected in one way or another.

Just before we left my Dad's office we had some of my chocolate cake! I think the moms and the members of I Wonder enjoyed it.

We ended our meeting with some fabulous yong tau fu lunch in Peel road!

Your blogger this week,

KLJY

P.S I hope that there will be some feed back or reports from our other members.

Thank you gift for tomorrow...

2009-08-11T01:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting in a while for those who check our/my "I Wonder" blog lately, I apologize for that!

I just baked a chocolate cake that is topped with fondant and icing for our thank you gift to the interviewee for tomorrow. This is my first fondant cake I hae ever baked so I hope it turns out yummy (Hope I dont poison anyone!) Yes, I do enjoy baking for those who dont know me so well!

We have two more members now, which are Zen Wei and Jian Lin.

Discussing our questions on facebook now!

Hope everything turns out well!

Thanks ^ ^

2009-08-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

Wow! Today when I logged in to my blog I found out that I had 4 followers now and three new comments! I am very pleased with my work now :D I am glad most of my friends and relatives like it!! I hope I can write more about the next interview.

Very silent...

2009-08-01T04:27:00.000-07:00

I am not sure how many people are actually reading this post or even know this blog!
I don't think many home schoolers like this 'I wonder' idea very much... So far I don't have many team members at all! I really need more team members/friends! I really hope we/I/I wonder can get more team members and do more interviews :D

Pest Control

2009-07-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

I have just found out from my parents the next interviewee will be Kent Leong (AKA My Dad)

Seriously even I am not all that sure what my Dad does at work! This should be quite an interesting experience for me and the rest who are wanting to participate in this interview!

We will probably be able to handle some of their equipment too, under adult supervision of course! Today Aunty Jin Ai and the Zen sisters dropped me off at my Dad's office and they seemed rather interested in the office surprisingly!

I am really looking forward to our next "I wonder" interview and I hope there will be more kids/teens participating this time round.

-KLJY

A visit to Nail Affairs Spa

2009-07-29T02:38:00.000-07:00

Filing my nails

End product

Some of the nail polish (There are tons more!)

The counter

Pampered!

Waxing room

Pedicure and massage chairs

More nail polish

Amrita presenting the certificate to Uncle Eric

Me presenting the certificate to Uncle Eric

The first "I Wonder" outing to a nail spa called Nail Affairs Spa with only two participants, Me and Amrita!

Got up extremely early today thanks to the thunder, it scared me and I thought it was an earth quake (How silly of me to think so...) Eu Fai was awake too because he slept early and also because the house was shaken by thunder! I grabbed my glasses and had a look at my watch... only 7:00 am!

Since me and Eu Fai were already wide awake we went down to do our usual after-waking-up stuff. I went on Facebook and had breakfast (Mama my grandma made us some hot Milo, it was really enjoyable since it was storming!) Eu Fai played with his Lego! Felt so sleepy since I did'nt comb my hair or freshen up yet :P

At around 8:00 am Papa came down to tell us to dress up soon and then me, Papa and Mama started moving the mini/small fridge into the hall and the dinning table into the play room!

So today was the day! Interview at the nail spa! I had some Mexican jumping beans inside me already!

It took a long time before we reached Aunty Wai Leng's house because the of the jam caused by the storm. Amrita was'nt all that ready for the interview so I was kinda nervous if I prepared enough questions to ask Uncle Eric! Entering the nail spa was very dreamy to me... in heaven or wonderland seeing all those nail and skin products! A sleek and modern shop filled with products that make me dream of using them...

We started of with with an introduction (Hello Uncle Eric, my name is Karen and this is my friend Amrita) then the interview.

Questions N Answers:

Q.Did the process of schooling help you with this business?
A.Interaction in school you will meet and get to know many people who has different character. Some are are kind but some aren't. That will help you in your business because in business you will be meeting a lot of people too.

Q.How do people/customers know about your nail spa?
A.Leaflets. We employ some people to give them out in housing areas close by. 80% Of our customers are from the neighbourhood around us.

Q.How many employees did you hire?
A.We started out with 2 but now we have 5 since there are more people coming to our nail spa.

Q.How long did it take to train your employees?
A.It took 1 month to train the foreign employees, they practiced among them selves after work so that they will know how the customer feels.

Q.What are the obstacles in your business so far?
A.
1.Not having enough customers knowing our nail spa.
2.It is hard finding skilled worker that would stay/work long with us
3.Having to pick them up from their houses and send them back because they don't have transportation.

Q.What are your feed backs?
A.A nice and nearly spotless spa, kind employees.

Some random facts:

Nail polish brands Nail Affairs uses: O.P.I, Orly and Essie

70% of middle aged women visit the spa

The posters are all home made as in the pictures are gathered and printed at home.

There are 3 stations: The manicure table, pedicure spa and the waxing room

There are 3 type of waxes they use for body waxing: Rosin (Is it the real rosin we use to rub on our violin bows?!), pine wax (Rosin and pine wax are rubbed onto your skin and you have to place a piece of paper or cloth on top then take it off to remove the hair) and hard wax (Hard wax is main for sensitive places like the eye brows, armpit and face. It is slightly different from rosin and pine wax because you don't have to use a paper/cloth for this, you just spread it it on the part you want to remove the hair from. It will contract after a while and it will pull/remove the hair together with it.)

After the interview I asked for a FREE manicure and Uncle said yes! I felt so excited!

Step by step of the manicure process:

You get to choose what colour you want (Of course!) and what fragrance for your lotion/cream (I chose a Japanese fragrance)

1.Trim your nails (Use a nail extender if it is chipped or too short)
2.File
3.Remove dead and dried skin
4.A massage in warm water with a soft sponge then with some lotion/cream
5.Apply anti-chip base
6.Apply base coat (Turquoise in colour)
7.Apply two layers of nail polish
8.Dry nails under a special fan for 5 minutes
9.Apply top coat (Maroonish in colour)
10.Apply some special oil on the nails to make it smooth and sleek

Manicure: RM 35.00
Pedicure: RM 45.00

Your reporter and interviewer,

Karen Leong J.Y