Application for the HPAIR Conference:

to those who don't know what is HPAIR: http://www.hpair.org/

this is what happened in my application form

(note that questions are in blue and my answers are in black):

Part II: Essay Questions

*Essay Question 1

Please choose ONE topic from the following and write your title on the first line (Limit: 8000 characters)

• A memorable negotiating experience
• Your favorite book about Asia
• Topic of your own choice
• For graduate students only: Your research interests and experiences

America: What’s the fuss about?

It was 1996 when I first set foot on the United States of America (USA). I barely remembered anything about the country, but I certainly enjoyed the Disneyland rides and getting autographs from Mickey Mouse and his friends. As I grew older, I was given rare opportunities to even visit Europe (Prague and Italy). Through these short yet memorable trips, I had many experiences that coloured my life and my impression of the Western side of the world.

It is not much of a surprise to see the American culture so predominant in the world today. From American movies to fast-food chains like McDonalds, the American culture is more than just complimenting the culture of our country. From a time that I know not, America was a symbol of dreams, pop culture and economic power. For some reason, we are so hooked onto the television gawking at Americans live their life in style and glamour. Suddenly, American brands like Nike and DKNY are the hottest things to wear over regular sportswear and clothing. When deciding your future, stories of people who would rather study in America, even though the course is offered in their own hometowns, appear and seem to tempt you to join the ‘party’. Okay, not every kid desires to go to the States to study and be like one of the Americans, but it’s not rare to see families choosing to migrate to the States to live and work.

This is America. It represented the ‘cool’ side of humans. ‘Blonde hair, blue eyes’ was a phrase that not only describes a stereotyped American, it signifies the impossibility of us Asians looking like one. America is always depicted as the carefree, open-minded country where free speech is allowed, where teenagers obtain their drivers’ license at 16, dress up fashionably and wear makeup as young as twelve years old. Unappealing as some may sound, all of us at some stage grew up wanting to be like those Westerners.

I am not (as how slang goes) ‘dissing’ America. I am a big fan of the American pop culture too. But at a point in time when American slang (e.g. “Yo”, “What’s up?”) is accepted as a part of conversational English for non-American people, when people start to resent their Asian roots and even purposefully fake their accents to sound American, I believe we should take a step back from the American frenzy and reflect.

Many would agree that American life sounds more glamorous than that of an Asian life. What causes the rise of American pop culture to dominate the world like so? Economic power is definitely a big factor. Being a giant in the global economy sure aids the pop culture of America in an indirect way. The economically smaller nations look to USA, the ‘hand’ that controls the market. Naturally, these smaller nations will research and analyse the USA market, hoping to be able to relate to the Americans. Thus, the widespread of its pop culture.

Media is also another ‘culprit’ of the American pop culture effect. Most of the television shows, movies, songs and literary works are made by Americans, and most of these mediums are now found in every part of the world. Today, everyone knows Hollywood or McDonalds, thanks to the incredible power of media.

If you think that I’m anti-America, I beg to differ. I may be doing this write up about American influence on the world, but I’m no expert at all. I am still amazed at how this country is able to be so influential that its presence can be found in every part of the world. It is worth the years of research to discover if other nations can apply their strategies for their own benefit. However, it is with great sadness when our own heritage is fading with the rise of the American culture. Slowly, our own heritage is fusing with the new-age culture. Fifty years down the road, would any of our children and grand-children know what is a samsui woman? Would anyone appreciate the nonyas and their Peranakan food? Would Asians even know how to use a pair of chopsticks? Or would our senses dull to the boisterous Western culture of the future?

The more Western pop culture takes over our nation, the more effort we must put to let everyone be aware of their own Asian roots. While we embrace globalization and the goodness of sharing culture from the other countries, it is never worthwhile to lose your own heritage along as well. Globalization brings the terrible consequence that without actions to cherish and preserve our own ethnic history, the world will truly be a global village, sharing the same culture. When that happens, I’m sure the future generation will not have experiences as colourful and diverse as I did when I was a child.

(813/8000 words)

Essay Question 2

Select two different panel topics from the drop down list below in order of preference. What aspects of the first panel topic that you chose specifically interest you and why? Please elaborate on relevant academic / working / personal experiences in a manner that testifies to your ability to contribute substantively to the panel. If accepted, you will be restricted to this topic for morning panel sessions. Afternoon seminars and case studies will allow delegates to choose on the spot. Note: Selecting the same two panel topics may be detrimental to your admissions decision. (Limit: 8000 characters)

First Preference:

International Law in Asia: For True Justice

Second Preference

Doing Business in Asia (Strategy and Management)

I picked international law because I was interested in crime and investigation. It is much obvious that I do not have any experience in law. My choice is fueled by pure interest and desire to know more about how justice is upheld by nations in South-East Asia (SEA). On a lighter note, perhaps the seminars can help me be a better judge when I deal with children in the classroom (I'm going to be a Primary School teacher.)

I chose business as my second choice because I believe that with the rise of China's booming economy, it is now an advantage for South-East Asian countries to rise up and play a big part in the global economy. Furthermore, I have friends who just started their own business and thus I thought it would be beneficial if whatever I learned in the HPAIR conference can give guidance and help for their businesses.

(151/8000 words)

Part III: Paper Presentations

If you are interested in presenting your paper at HPAIR's Asia 2010 Conference, please fill out the following section. Presentations will occur throughout the conference and last 15 minutes each. If you are not interested, please continue on to Part IV of the application.

[no way am i doing this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

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and with that, i submitted by application to one of the most prestigious conferences (I feel) of the year. I kinda feel like I'm mocking them, i mean, did you even see some of my answers???? but honestly, I'm just glad it's over and done with. If i'm accepted to go for the conference, PTL. If not, I don't blame them.