E3 World:  You’re on a Dr Goh Keng Swee scholarship and now you’ve won the IEE award. What motivates you? Joel:  A passion for the Sciences – I don’t really consider myself an engineer. I do put in quite a bit of studying; I’m not one of those who have a photographic memory. I find that a person must be really interested in the subject. If he studies for the sake of excelling in exams, he doesn’t do as well.

Joel:  I was influenced by my brother who studied at NTU.  He said that NTU was a better place than NUS because of its practically-oriented curriculum.EEE has a lot of attractions to me:  I am curious about how electrical gadgets work and the courses look interesting.  And yes, the courses have satisfied my
curiosity to a certain extent.

E3 World:  How do you relax?

Joel: I’m involved in my Hall’s theatre productions. I’m stage manager, having risen through the ranks. I’m also similarly involved in the church. Have you heard of Artists for Christian Theatre which put up Joan of Arc at the University Cultural Centre? I took care of the technical side of that production.

E3 World:   You did your industrial attachment at Micron Semiconductor when you could easily have been selected for an attachment abroad. 

Joel: Well, upon graduation, I will work in Singapore, so I thought I should see what working life here is like.It was fun at Micron, but I don’t really enjoy working life because of the routine.

E3 World:   Do I detect an inclination toward academia?

Joel: It’s my first priority. I’m interested in continuing my studies.

E3 World:   Being from Kedah, Malaysia, did you experience any culture shock when you first came to Singapore? 

Joel:   Two problems. First the fast pace of life, yes, even in NTU. In Alor Star, Kedah, everything’s slow moving. Secondly, Mandarin’s a problem because my friends here use it a lot. I went to a Malay-medium school, and speak English and Hokkien at home. I took Mandarin for a few months but it’s largely forgotten now.