Day 0 - Discussion about our job scopes!

Reef Systems is located at 8 @ TradeHub 21! (That cap you see below is Ryan)

The orientation of properties at TradeHub was interesting! The empty space you see in front of the wall is actually the carpark. The entire building is basically a carpark with property spaces behind. How convenient for you to park your car directly at your office's doorstep!

We're greeted by a majestic coral reef aquarium upon opening the door! (Ryan is just staring in awe)

Another beautiful tank! Look at how clear the water is! The office desk is just behind this tank.

Another display tank. Their showroom is filled with aquariums! There was a freshwater planted tank as well (but I didn't take a picture).

Ryan waiting for me...

...cos I was waiting for the train to come! Nice view if not for the window grilles!

Had a 1 hour meeting with Hui Shan today, the Sales & Marketing Manager. I thought it'll be somewhat like an interview, but it turned out to be a discussion for us to know more about our job scopes. She said we'll get to learn everything it takes to run a company like Reef Systems, from their bread-and-butter jobs of maintaining their clients' tanks, to sales & marketing! And if we missed out on anything, its because she doesn't have the time to teach us!

Here's the consolidated list of our job scopes:

• Maintaining aquariums (water change etc.)
• Understanding of tank setups & specific systems required for challenging livestock (filter systems etc.)
• Customer service (giving advice to clients)
• Research (they're currently working on fish medications)
• Sales & Marketing (meeting with clients and selling of services/products)

Overall, it seems manageable, though they expect a lot from us! Nevertheless, I think it's gonna be lots of fun despite the tough work ahead!

Introduction

So, what is Reef Systems?

Reef Systems is actually an aquarium design group. They setup and maintain aquariums for clients who wish to have an aquarium at home, but do not have the time to take care of their piece of the ocean/river (for saltwater and freshwater aquariums respectively). They provide services as simple as performing a water change, to large-scale custom tank designing. Interesting huh! Imagine going to work everyday working on different types of high-end aquariums that you could never afford yourself! COOL :D Check out their website here: http://www.reefsystems.sg/

Reef Systems does roadshows as well, like those in Aquarama! I've already been to 3 Aquaramas [Aquarama 2007, 2009 & 2011 (Sad to say, I missed out on Aquarama 2013 as I was busy with the upcoming exams)] and each of them was an eye-opener in their own ways. But imagine if I was part of one! Can't wait for intern to start. :)

Welcome to my blog!

It all began on 5th Sept, when Dr. Tan emailed us the list of internship choices. There was a total of 36 choices. Of the 36, 2 were aquaculture-related. But both were under the same company. One required 5.5 working days, and the other required 5 working days.

And so, I picked 32 as my first choice, and 33 as my second. Don't mind working more for more experience!

My third choice was at the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Dr. Gillian Khew got me interested in botany after her seminar on Molecular Phylogenetic analysis of two complexes in Paphiopedilum section Barbata. Here's what the internship offered:

About a week after I submitted my choices, I had thoughts of setting up a blog to document my internship. I thought it'll be nice if I could take a look back at my experiences at Reef Systems after I've completed my internship! 

It wasn't until I got a call from Reef Systems before I bit the bullet and created this blog - thereafter on the 17th of September, dfisherii.blogspot.sg was born! It'll host all of my internship adventures and learning experiences from start till end! 

It's simply amazing how everything went according to how Dr. Nevil had told me during my visit to NP's Open House back in 2010. I remember meeting Dr. Tan at the convection center and telling him about my interests in fish-keeping. He recommended MBIO over VBS and I felt weird about his recommendation, as I had always aimed for VBS since I did my 'N' Levels back in 2009. MBIO had never crossed my mind. Then, he directed me to LSCT and told me to look for an Indian man (Dr. Nevil). Upon arriving at LSCT, I quickly spotted Dr. Nevil and approached him. Just like Dr. Tan, he recommended MBIO over VBS. He talked about the module on Aquaculture & Marine Biology, the Final Year Project (where I would have the choice to work on an aquaculture related project - which is my Shrimp Breeding Project now!), and then continued to elaborate on the internship, where he told me about the opportunities to intern at aquaculture related companies. It was then, that I knew MBIO would be the course for me. Fast forward 3 years and here I am! :)