As Toronto has a very diversified population, she gets to meet a good mix of students from all over the world, from South Africa to Korea to China to America to Australia to India to Columbia. Basically, Singaporeans in Toronto recognize each other not by how we look but by how we punctuate our conversations with "lors" "lahs" "hor" and "lehs", which are not found in the English dictionary as yet. As such, Danielle is very conscious in avoiding the usage of our Singaporean "jargons" when she converses with her friends here in Toronto.
She misses Hokkien Mee, Roti Prata, Katong Laksa a lot and in her search for Singapore food, she found in the food courts and Chinese restaurants here in Toronto, a dish, by the name of "Singapore Noodles". She was thrilled at her "discovery" but to her surprise, it was simply stir-fried seafood vermicelli with tumeric powder, which was miles apart from her imagination. So, in order to overcome her cravings, Danielle got her family to buy her pre-mix sauce packs from Singapore, for example, Curry, Tom Yam soups, Hainanese Chicken Rice. Then she found out that the Chinese grocery supermarkets also sell them too, so she bought them here.
However, she still misses Singapore's authentic Katong Laksa. So, again, she got her family to buy her instant laksa Maggie noodles (Prima Taste) and this time, she feels it was the closest she could get to the standard of her fantasy. Here is a picture of Danielle's creation of a "made-do" Laksa, Singapore style. (It looks so tantalizing, doesn't it?)
Notwithstanding her longing for all the irresistible Singapore food, she will still encourage Canada as a destination. Coming from a country with summer weather all year round, having a drastic switch to a place with 4 seasons is an awesome experience. She gets to wear fall/winter gears, such as coats, gloves, winter boots, hats, scarfs, ear muffs etc.
For now, watching weather channel CP24 and planning ahead are part of Danielle's daily routine. She likes Canada for its space and she gets to explore lots of nature and its history. She has been to the Niagara Region and Montreal she hopes to travel to Banff and Prince Edward Island next, then to Quebec and Vancouver. In mini-Switzerland, Banff, she hopes to visit the Rockies and to canoe at Lake Louise.
Is Danielle brand conscious? Well, I would think she is more value-conscious. She says she buys branded stuff only because the quality is better. She is a patron of Gap, Banana Republic, Club Manaco and Juicy Couture, which are found in most major shopping malls in Toronto. They say when you take care of the penny, the dollar takes care of itself. So, for Danielle, if the item she wants to get is not on sale or "sale on top of sale" then she will wait it out. She said she has been pretty lucky in getting good values for money. She managed to get a couple of Banana Republic and Club Manaco party dresses worth CAD$200 for less than CAD$20!
So what was Danielle's upbringing like? I asked her if she wants the latest of everything, like iphone, ipad mini etc., she said she is not a trendsetter. She is always contented with whatever she has and when it comes to the release of the latest gadgets, she will only contemplate to get it if she needs it. She doesn't think it is cool just to have it, like most young people. She credits this to her parents who have taught her and her 3 younger siblings to be prudent with their money and she feels that being the eldest child, she has the responsibility to be a good role model to her younger siblings.
So, what were her secondary school days like? She attended Zhonghua Secondary School. She was more active when she was in Secondary 3 to 5. She remembered her Accounts teacher asking the class to try starting their own business. Danielle and her friends came together and actually succeeded in converting an idea into reality. They got items from a supplier on consignment basis and sold plastic bottles, cell phone charms, desktop wrist support and for a reasonably good profit!
She was a researcher for her class in an inter-class debate and participant in an inter-class competition. In that competition, her class had to build a "water bottle rocket" which could travel the longest distance. Her class came in second. Being part of the Dance Club, she also experienced the joy of achieving a Silver in the Singapore Youth Festival for 2 years. Her secondary school days were memorable and filled with fun.
But it was not just fun throughout. She appreciated her teachers' care for her and every help given to her in her studies. She remembered that during her O Levels preparation months, even the Vice Principal personally coached her and her friends in math. It is no wonder that, even though she has left the school for some years now, she still visited her teachers every Teachers' Day, right up to the time she has to leave Singapore to Canada.
After Zhonghua Secondary School, she went on to Temasek Polytechnic, where she studied Business, specialising in Banking and Finance. She was in the main committee for the Faculty of Diploma in Business. In her role as a committee member, she had the opportunity to do event planning and organize fund raising activities. Besides, she was also cheerleading under the flagship of TP Blazers.
Let us talk about the mid to long term plans of Danielle. In 5 years, upon graduation from Ryerson University, Danielle sees herself as a Relationship Manager managing a portfolio of small to large corporate clients. She has assisted Relationship Managers during her intership and after graduation from Temasek Polytechnic. She learnt how the marketing department has to liase with other departments, such as the operations, compliance and legal departments.
Longer term, Danielle hopes to start her own business. Doing her own business allows her to do what she loves most and to make decisions for the company. She has actually started penning down ideas and is constantly looking at how to improve on those ideas. She is greatly influenced by her dad who had started his own business 14 years ago and whose business is thriving.
So, the most pertinent question I have for Danielle was, "Where will she choose? Singapore or Canada? She said she is still exploring both options. She wants to take a professional designation, but in order to do that she had to gain some work experience. So upon graduation from university, she hopes to work in Canada to gain exposure in the Banking industry. She is thankful for the opportunity that Ryerson has given to her and would like to give back to Canadian society by working here. Similarly, if there is an opportunity in Singapore and which can allow her to value add to the her home country, she will not hesitate to return.
Lastly, Danielle wants to share that she was really awed by her experience of learning ice skating in December last year and it was something she had always thought of picking up ever since she was a teenager. She was so motivated that she got herself a pair of ice skates to practise.
Let us wish Danielle every success not just in her ice skating but also her journey here in Canada.
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