Leap And Nothing Is Out Of Reach
She may be new to the game, but Song Huiling shows us her moves in dance and at work.
"Sometimes, overcoming the fear of trying is greater than the task itself. You just have to bite the bullet and go through with it."
The videoshoot was a few hours behind schedule. It's past 2pm and filming was still in progress. The director was capturing extra takes for the opening scene. Lunch packets, untouched, were stacked neatly on a table nearby.
In the thick of the action is Huiling. Lights, mics, and camera, Huiling has been filming since 7.30am. Bringing more than just her smile and a positive attitude, Huiling had a suitcase with several of her own outfits and props for her different scenes.
At 2.45pm, the director finally calls for a lunch break. Huiling sits down to have her meal, now cold and slightly soggy. With the second half of the shoot starting in 30 minutes, there was not much time to idle. We watched her take her meal hastily and check her emails in between bites.
The videoshoot was taking longer than expected but Huiling is not one to complain. It's small moments like these that speak volumes of her attitude towards work.
A dancer in school, Huiling is used to performing before an audience. Today is her first time acting in front of the camera, and she is quite the natural star. On set, her jovial attitude helped to lighten the mood of those around her. Every blooper was punctuated by her infectious laughter, shrugging off any embarrassing and hilarious mistakes. After each take, Huiling would watch the scene play out from behind the lens, observing her movements and expressions and devising ways to improve with each take. Her keen attitude towards learning and improving, and not shying away from new experiences (and the camera), was admirable.
A natural in front of the camera, one would assume that as a dancer, Huiling would be even more impressive. However, Huiling shared that her dance journey wasn’t always smooth. Trained as a Chinese dancer since young, she had always wanted to venture into other forms of dance. The fear of failure caused her to miss many chances. She finally took a leap of faith when she entered university and decided to attend the school’s try-out for contemporary dance.
"The fact that I was inadequate at the beginning pushed me to work even harder."
Huiling shared: "I'd be lying if I said that the change was easy. While both types of dances share a similar foundation, I often find myself lagging behind my peers. Most of them had contemporary (dance) background. I guess in a way, the fact that I was inadequate at the beginning, pushed me to work even harder."
"I've been dancing for 17 years now, and through these years, dancing made me a better person. It taught me determination, resilience, and the importance of hardwork. These values matter even more now that I've joined the workforce. Sometimes, the fear of trying is greater than the task itself. You just have to bite the bullet and go through with it.," added Huiling.
"I've been dancing for 17 years now, and through these years, dancing made me become a better person. It taught me determination, resilience, and the importance of hardwork."
Perhaps it's that same gusto that brought her to apply for CapitaLand's Graduate Development Programme (GDP). Having graduated with a Business degree and hoping to try out jobs related to product branding and marketing, she decided to join CapitaLand. No better opportunity to learn about retail branding than from one of Singapore's largest real estate developer and retail landlord, she thought.
"I had to go through several rounds of interviews when I applied for GDP. This included a hackathon where we had to formulate and present a business case study and execution plans under a very tight timeline. These experiences were new to me but I'm glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone to take up the challenge. Surprisingly, the GDP application process wasn't as tedious as I thought it'd be. It was largely automated through CLARA, the chatbot on the application page. The tour and networking event I attended with the GDP seniors already in CapitaLand also made a difference in helping me make a more informed choice."
Since joining CapitaLand as a GDP Management Associate about six months ago, Huiling was part of the Capita3Eats workgroup, a special team tasked to create an online food ordering platform. Aimed at helping CapitaLand’s F&B tenants during COVID-19, Huiling and her team worked tirelessly to provide another stream of revenue for tenants on Capita3Eats and rolled out promotions to raise their profile and improve their sales. The learning curve was steep, and even more so considering that she had to start her first job from home, in the middle of a pandemic and working with colleagues whom she has not met in real life.
"Having worked on Capita3Eats, I'm now on my second rotation with ION Orchard's Marketing Communications team. I think the exposure that I get as a GDP Management Associate has helped me better understand the different aspects of the (retail) business. I also had great teammates who were there when I needed advice and guidance. They have made a real impact to my working experience."
Apart from helpful colleagues in her daily work, the CapitaLand Talent Management team also organised virtual bonding sessions for Management Associates in the programme, such as cookouts and workshops, to make sure that they assimilate well into the CapitaLand family.
“No matter the time of day, my work family is always a WhatsApp away. For me to start my career in such extraordinary times, I feel that my teammates and I are more connected (virtually) than ever, with a common goal to strive harder and excel.”
"My teammates and I are more connected than ever, with a common goal to strive harder and excel."
We are featuring exciting young talents from CapitaLand's Graduate Development Programme this Nov and Dec!
Stay tuned for new stories and videos!
WHAT'S WHAT IN THE VIDEO
- Hair and Makeup by Adeline Ariel.L Hair & Makeup (@adeline.ariel)
- On location at The Big Picture, part of Capital Tower's newly furnished flexible spaces at level 9. From press conferences and seminars to movie screenings and performances, level 9 at Capital Tower offers a dynamic and creative zone for different needs.
- Videography: FreyaFilms Productions (@freyafilmsproductions)