Inspiring Movie: Waterboys (ウォーターボーイズ Wōtā Bōizu) (2001)

Give your funny bones a chance to play.

My Favourite Scene 
First showcase or performance of the group in front of their teachers.

Personal Reflection
What if you wanted to do something different...Will you be willing to go against the odds to achieve your dreams...I invite you to watch Waterboys and give yourself a chance to be inspired by this sweet and funny Japanese movie. 
 

Movie Details
Name and year: Waterboys (ウォーターボーイズ Wōtā Bōizu) and 2001
Director: Shinobu Yaguchi
Writers/Screenplay: Yasushi Fukuda and  Shinobu Yaguchi  
Producers: Yoshino Sasaki, Daisuke Sekiguchi and Akifumi Takuma
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
 

Movie Plot
This heartwarming, hilarious film is about a synchronized swimming team in a boys’ school, who have been left in the lurch by their teacher, whose idea it was to start the team. It also doesn’t help that the team is made up of awkward, not-very-popular boys who everyone mocks, till they decide to go ahead and put up a performance on their own. A beautiful coming-of-age film guaranteed to make you smile.

Post Sources 
Movie Poster: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299213/mediaviewer/rm2844400128
Movie Details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterboys_(film)
Movie Plot: Japan Foundation (New Delhi,India) Newsletter.

I hope the above movie will remind you about your strange childhood dreams and friends. Never stop believing in your dreams !!!

Please feel free to share, reflect and comment on the above post.
And for suggestions, please email me at: hoping.withhope@gmail.com

With Hope.
 

ITTO Fellowship Programme 2016/17

A very good opportunity for students interested in tropical forestry.

Deadline: August 15, 2016

ITTO (International Tropical Timber Organization) offers fellowships through the Freezailah Fellowship Fund to promote human resource development and to strengthen professional expertise in member countries in tropical forestry, tropical timber industries and related disciplines. The goal is to promote the sustainable management of tropical forests, the efficient use and processing of tropical timber, and better economic information about the international trade in tropical timber.

Eligibility

• Only nationals of ITTO Member countries (http://www.itto.int/itto_members/) are eligible to apply.
• Awards are to be made to individuals not to institutions.
• Previous ITTO Fellowship awardees are not eligible to apply for another ITTO Fellowship within two years of receiving the first award and submitting to the Secretariat a final report on the activity for which the award was made.

Eligible Activities

• Participation in international/regional conferences, short-term training courses, training internships at industries, research and educational institutions, study tours, and lecture/demonstration tours;
• Technical document preparation, publication and dissemination, such as manuals and monographs;
• Small grants for post-graduate studies.

ITTO gives preference to short-term activities.

Award

The maximum amount for a fellowship is US$10,000. ITTO Fellowships provides tuition/training/conference fees, transportation fees, daily subsistence allowance, book allowance and other allowances. For post-gradate studies, only a partial tuition fee or a small research grant can be provided. Approved Fellowships are non-transferable to other programmes or institutions.

Selection Criteria 

Fellowship applications will be assessed against the following selection criteria (in no priority order):

• Consistency of the proposed activity with the Programme's objective and priority areas;
• Qualifications of the applicant to undertake the proposed Fellowship activity;
• The potential of the skills and knowledge acquired or advanced under the Fellowship activity to lead to wider applications and benefits nationally and internationally;
• Reasonableness of costs in relation to the proposed Fellowship activity.

Additional consideration will be given to:

• Geographic and gender balance;
• Balance among the ITTO priority areas;
• Competency in the language in which the training will be given, where applicable (eg courses, conferences, study tours).

The ITTO Fellowships are awarded mainly to nationals of developing countries. However, ITTO may award Fellowships to nationals of consumer developed countries when: (a) the activities for which the awards are made are carried out in Producer Member countries and the activities tend to benefit Producer Member countries; and/or (b) there is evidence of technology transfer for activities to be carried out in developed countries.
 

Appraisal
Applications are appraised by a Fellowship Selection Panel twice a year. The Panel comprises six individuals, three from producer member countries and three from consumer member countries, and is chaired by the Vice Chairman of the ITTC.

How to Apply 

To read the general instructions and to submit your application online, please click here.

Post Sources:  
Official website and post source: http://www.itto.int/feature20/  
Image Source: ITTO Annual Report (PDF)

 
Don't let financial problems stop you from going after your dreams !!!

Please feel free to share, reflect and comment on the above post.
And for suggestions, please email me at: hoping.withhope@gmail.com

With Hope.

UNESCO & Goi Peace Foundation - International Essay Contest 2016

An excellent contest for budding writers and thinkers. 

Deadline: June 15, 2016 (23:59 your local time)

UNESCO Global Action Programme (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in association with Goi Peace Foundation is accepting essays for this year's International Essay Contest for young people. This annual essay contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, imagination and initiative of the world's youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. It also aims to inspire our society to learn from the young minds and to think about how each one of us can make a difference in the world.

 Theme: "Education to Build a Better Future for All"

We live in a world with many complex problems, both local and global. What kind of education and learning would help us address these challenges and create a sustainable world and a better life for all? Describe your concrete ideas for an ideal education.

Awards 

The following awards will be given in the Children’s category and Youth category respectively:

1st Prize:    
Certificate and prize of 100,000 Yen (approx. US$880 as of February 2016) - 1 entrant

2nd Prize:   
Certificate and prize of 50,000 Yen (approx. US$440 as of February 2016) - 2 entrants

3rd Prize:   
Certificate and gift - 5 entrants

Honorable Mention:
Certificate and gift - 25 entrants

* 1st prize winners will be invited to the award ceremony in Tokyo, Japan scheduled for November 2016 and will receive the Minister of
Education Award. (Travel expenses will be covered by the organizer.)
* Additional awards (Recognition for Effort, Best School Award, School Incentive Award) will be given if applicable.
* ‌All prize winners will be announced by the end of October 2016 on the Goi Peace Foundation web site (www.goipeace.or.jp).
Certificates and gifts will be mailed to the winners in December 2016.

Guidelines     

1. Essays may be submitted by anyone up to 25 years old (as of June 15, 2016) in one of the following age categories:
a) Children (ages up to 14)
b) Youth (ages 15 - 25)

2. Essays must be 700 words or less in English, French, Spanish or German, or 1600 characters or less in Japanese, excluding essay title. Essays may be typed or printed.

3. Essays must have a cover page indicating (1) category (Children or Youth) (2) essay title (3) your name (4) address (5) phone number (6) e-mail (7) nationality (8) age as of June 15, 2016 (9) gender (10) school name (if applicable) (11) word count.

Teachers and youth directors may submit a collection of essays from their class or group.
Please enclose a list of participants' names, ages and the name and contact information of the submitting teacher or director.

* Entries missing any of the above information will not be considered.
* Please note that the organizer is unable to confirm receipt of essays or answer individual inquiries concerning contest results.

4.Entries may be submitted by postal mail or online.
* IMPORTANT: To send your essay online, you must go to the online registration page and follow the required steps.

5.Essays must be original and unpublished. Plagiarized entries will be rejected.

6.Essays must be written by one person. Co-authored essays are not accepted.

7.Copyright of the essays entered will be assigned to the organizer.

How to Enter

Please send your entries to: 

International Essay Contest c/o The Goi Peace Foundation
1-4-5 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0093 Japan

OR

To send your entry online, please click here.

Post Sources:

Official website and post source: http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english/activities/programs/1601.html
Image Source: International Essay Contest 2016 Notice (PDF)

Weave magic with your profound thoughts and creativity !!!

Please feel free to share, reflect and comment on the above post.
And for suggestions, please email me at: hoping.withhope@gmail.com

With Hope. 

Autodesk - Design for Space Challenge 2016

An excellent opportunity for engineers and designers. 

 
Deadline: August 31, 2016 (11:59pm PT)

The Autodesk Design for Space Challenge is a design challenge for students to show off their design ability using Autodesk® Fusion 360™ (a product design software) for the opportunity to win mentorships and other awards. The challenge is to use Autodesk® Fusion 360™ to design a 3D cube satellite model capable of solving real-space challenges.

Eligibility
Students must be:

• Between the ages of 18 – 24 years old
• Enrolled in an accredited Post-secondary academic institution and are legal resident of the following countries: Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, UAE, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, or Zambia.

Prizes
Prizes are available for the top 10 entries as defined below.

1st Place Award Winners – Places 1, 2, 3

• 1:1 mentoring with NASA astronaut, Yvonne Cagle (1st highest score)
• 1:1 mentoring with Field Ready, principle designer, Dara Dotz (2nd highest score)
• 1:1 mentoring with CubeSat co-inventor, Jordi Puig-Suari (3rd highest score)
• $1,000
• Use of your design as an example part in Autodesk trade show and conference appearances
• Get your design featured on the Autodesk Design Academy website

2nd Place Award Winners – Places 4 and 5

• $750
• Autodesk T-shirt
• Get your design featured on the Autodesk Design Academy website

3rd Place Award Winners – Places 6 and 7

• $500
• Autodesk T-shirt
• Get your design featured on the Autodesk Design Academy website

4th Place Award Winners – Places 8, 9, and 10

• $250
• Autodesk T-Shirt
• Get your design featured on the Autodesk Design Academy website

Judging Criteria
Judges will select the finalists and winners based on the following criteria:

• Innovation and Inventiveness (30%): How well does your new design “push the envelope” and enhance user experience?
• Software skills (30%): How does the student designer demonstrate technical skills and quality of design submitted based on technical requirements?
• Suitability to purpose (20%): How well does the design prove useful and suited to serving its purpose, providing a positive user experience?
• Creativity (20%): How well does the entry reflect cleverness and originality of thought to support the challenge and add value?

How to Enter
You must enter the Competition as described below.

1. Register your account at Autodesk “Design for Space” Challenge.  
2. Complete your user profile.        
3. Design your cube satellite model with Autodesk® Fusion 360™ in accordance with the CubeSat standard dimensions.    
4. Submit your entry.   

Each entrant can only submit two entries. Entries must be submitted in English and must be submitted in .f3d, .f3z and .jpg file formats.

Note: Winners will be announced by September 21, 2016 (11:59pm PT).
 
Post Sources:
Official website and post source: https://sqore.com/opportunity/design-for-space-challenge
Image Source: https://sqore.com/opportunity/design-for-space-challenge

Unleash your imagination !!! Let your designs fly !!! 

Please feel free to share, reflect and comment on the above post.
And for suggestions, please email me at: hoping.withhope@gmail.com

With Hope.

2016 Yayasan Kek Lok Si Financial Aid for Malaysian Undergraduate Students

A good opportunity for Malaysian students who are searching for scholarships to pursue undergraduate programs in Malaysia.

Deadline: May 31, 2016

Yayasan Kek Lok Si Foundation has announced their inaugural Yayasan Kek Lok Si Financial Aid for Malaysian Undergraduate Students. Malaysian students who are searching for scholarships to pursue undergraduate programs in Malaysia can apply for the Yayasan Kek Lok Si Financial Aid.

Yayasan Kek Lok Si is a non-profit charitable organization affiliated to Kek Lok Si Temple. Kek Lok Si Temple, “The Temple of Supreme Bliss” is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Penang. Kek Lok Si Temple is also known as the Jewel in the Crown of heritage Temple in Malaysia and has been identified as the largest and finest Mahayana Traditional Buddhist Temple Complexes in South East Asia.

Financial Aid

• The Foundation has set aside a total of RM500,000 in scholarships for needy students.

• Each successful applicant will receive a minimum of RM1,000 in aid depending on their application.

Eligibility 

• Open to all Malaysian students applying to enter undergraduate programs locally in 2016.

How to Apply

• Download the application form from their website.
• Or please click here to download the application form.
• Complete the application form in hard copy.
• Attach relevant documents.

Mail your application to Yayasan Kek Lok Si, Kek Lok Si Temple, 11500 Ayer Itam, Pulau Pinang with the words “REF: YKLS2016” clearly written on the top left corner of the envelope.

Note: Incomplete applications or applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Applicants will be notified of the status of their application in July 2016.

Post Sources:
Official website and opportunity source: http://yayasankekloksi.org
Image source: http://yayasankekloksi.org

Knowledge is power. Live your dream !!!

Please feel free to share, reflect and comment on the above post.
And for suggestions, please email me at: hoping.withhope@gmail.com

With Hope.

INSPIRING MOVIE: THE INTERN (2015)

Nancy Meyers (Director and Writer) introduces you to an old, talented, wise and cool intern.

My Favourite Lines
Ben: Someone may come in with more experience than you, but, they're never gonna know what you know...
You should feel nothing but great about what you've done. And I'd hate to see you let anyone take that away from you.

Personal Reflection
What if you were the founder of a growing e-commerce company and a mother ? Would you hire a senior citizen intern ? What would happen if you do ? I invite you to watch 'The Intern' to find out.

Movie Details
Name and year: The Intern and 2015
Director: Nancy Meyers
Producers: Suzanne Farwell
Writer: Nancy Meyers
Country: USA

Movie Plot
70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker(Robert De Niro) has discovered that retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin(Anne Hathaway).

Movie Trailer 

(Movie and Trailer Credits: Original creators and artists for creating an inspiring movie. I am only sharing it here to spread the word and to inspire people all over the world.)

Post Sources
Movie Poster: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Intern_Poster.jpg
Movie Details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Intern_(2015_film)
Movie Plot: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2361509/
Movie Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU3Xban0Y6A

I hope the above movie will remind you about the importance of having faith in your abilities.

Please feel free to share, reflect and comment on the above post.
And for suggestions, please email me at: hoping.withhope@gmail.com

With Hope.

INSPIRING MOVIE: BURNT (2015)

A very good movie. A must watch for all Bradley Cooper fans !!!

My Favourite Lines
Adam Jones: Now I am back. I am going after my third star.
-------------------
Tony: Listen, he really wants you back...Also I think he likes you.
Helene: So that was Adam liking someone.

Movie Details
Name and year: Burnt 2015
Director: John Wells
Producers: Stacey Sher, Erwin Stoff and John Wells
Screenplay: Steven Knight
Story: Michael Kalesniko
Country: USA

Movie Plot
Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) is a chef who destroyed his career with drugs and diva behavior. He cleans up and returns to London, determined to redeem himself by spearheading a top restaurant that can gain three Michelin stars.

Personal Reflection
Adam Jones' quest to achieve three Michelin stars reminded me of an old saying by George Eliot...

"It is never too late to be what you might have been" 

The movie also highlights the importance of not getting carried away by success and fame. Each one of us makes mistakes and Adam Jones is no exception. He falls prey to drugs and ends up losing everything(specifically his career and friends) in Paris. The movies portrays his struggle to rise up again and his journey to achieve three Michelin stars in London. 

Suggestion: If you believe in second chances, you will enjoy watching Burnt. But, don't try and watch it on an empty stomach !!!

Movie Trailer 

(Movie and Trailer Credits: Original creators and artists for creating an inspiring movie. I am only sharing it here to spread the word and to inspire people all over the world.)

Post Sources
Movie Poster: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Burnt_Poster_Updated.jpg
Movie Details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnt_(film)
Movie Plot: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2503944/
Movie Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXaff0PpszM

I hope the above movie will remind you about the power of believing in your dreams. Never let failures stop you from achieving your dreams.

Please feel free to share, reflect and comment on the above post.
And for suggestions, please email me at: hoping.withhope@gmail.com

With Hope.