Hello!

Hey everyone!

I’ve received a couple of emails from people who have found this blog through googling for the KaosPilots. So I thought I’d post an update.

No, I’m not applying again. Not for a while. I haven’t really kept up with what KP is up to – honestly, the last rejection threw me in such a loop that for a long time I didn’t want anything to do with KP. I still keep in touch with some friends from there, but mainly because they’re cool people (rather than their KP connection).

I’ve finished my degree. Who knew this day would come?! I used my final semester for work placements, which was a good option (though there were a few dramas towards the end!). While there’s been a holdup with my grades, I’m generally done, and should be graduating by March.

Right now I’m doing some Vacation Research Experience with QUT CI – it’s for students who’re looking at doing post-grad work (or, in my case, because I like doing things). My project is to look up and summarize resources for the Disability Resources Wiki, full of stuff about disability and the arts. I just started but it’s pretty cool so far. I’ve also been involved here and there with local things.

My KP experience, as well as the experiences of the past year, have given me a new (early New Years) resolution: apply for all the longshots and be surprised. Instead of pining my hopes on the one thing, I’ll just apply for anything that looks interesting and see where that gets me. If I don’t get that exact thing, I would at least have known what was out there.

I have my eye on the Sauve Scholars, a one-year research fellowship sponsored by McGill University in Montreal where you can research any topic you want. It’s a bit over my head but having a year to work on whatever (in my case, youth engagement) would be awesome. And it’s fully funded, so no money worries!

There’s also Seth Godin’s Alternative MBA, which is basically 6 months work experience in NY with his company. Logistically I can’t do it – it starts in January and I can’t get a trainee visa in a month. besides, I’ve got stuff to do for the next couple of months. However, I’m still putting in an application, in case Godin or other people have other opportunities open. Also, the process is helping me develop content for my professional website, which was under hiatus for a while but hopefully will be launched in time for New Years.

I’m looking for something that makes people go “AWESOME”. Creative, socially conscious, cool, fun, flexible. Whether that’s study, work, my own venture, random travel, whatever. I’m in a new phase of life, I’m a different person, and I want to explore that difference.

Contact me if you have any ideas, or just wanna chat. KP folk can email me too – no hard feelings.

take care!

 

I’m not a KaosPilot.

I have not been invited back for Team 2 of KP NL.

 

Hello from Dordrecht!

Hey everyone,

Internet is really expensive and the days are long, so I can’t really write much. However, I just wanted to say hi from Dordrecht, a city east (i think) of Rotterdam where we’re all placed for the two days.

There’s about 26 of us from US, UK, Denmark, Norway, Argentina, Canada, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Iceland, and me. Pretty small group but we’re all getting along great.

Photos to come, though I can’t really disclose what exactly goes on at the workshop due to privacy issues (we’re been sworn to secrecy, really). But it’s been pretty good so far.

I’ll probably update when I get back in Malaysia. Talk to you later!

 

LOL post.

My boyfriend Mark wanted to say that my last entry was a long post, but he wrote “lol post” instead.

We’re both big fans of I Can Has Cheezburger, so I made this in his honour:

I wonder if LOLs work with consulates.

 

Inspiring and Slightly Nutty

I just read the book version of One Red Paperclip, a quest by Kyle McDonald to trade up a red paperclip for a house. It reminded me of all the crazy things people have set out to do, with varying degrees of success.

Sean Aiken’s One Week Job; the Pursue the Passion tour; the 1 Second Film project where for $1 (goes to the Global Fund for Women) you can be a producer and possibly join Oprah (my producer ID is 9859 btw); selling a million dollars worth of web advertising or different works of personal art; or just making a million dollars in a year.

I’ve done my version of an Inspiring and Slightly Nutty Web Thing – after being sick of an empty mailbox and watching Ryan Fitzgerald get a zillion calls just by posting his phone number, I got myself a P.O. Box and asked people to send me mail. The P.O. Box is still available, and so is the offer – feel free to send me anything (as long as it’s legal and not food, because AusPost will confiscate it) to:

Tiara Shafiq
P.O. Box 6216
St Lucia, QLD 4067
Australia

I mostly got mail from other Mefites, but it was good fun, and particularly lovely as I went through a really bad patch in life after making that video – so all the letters helped.

This website is one of those Slightly Nutty Web Things too. How many people document their progress at applying for something online – and risk having it all fall apart? The end decision was the one thing I couldn’t control. I was rather hoping that this website will bring some sort of Internet fame…it hasn’t reached Red Paperclip levels (and possibly won’t unless KP NL accepts me), but I did meet a whole bunch of interesting people this way. All the KaosPilots past and present and future, general supporters, social activists like Beth Kanter who promoted me on BlogHer, all sorts of folk.

Even though the project now has taken a sharp turn into a different European country, and has another potential to go really wrong, it still has the potential to go really right. Or at least really interesting. I already have an offer to go to Biel to train with BrainStore for 3 months. If KP NL doesn’t work out, there’s another adventure. If KP NL does work out…well! We have quite a ride on our hands!

Obviously there are quite a few turning points for all those projects. The point where it becomes not just a private fun game, but hits the big time. Where things go “haywire”, as Kyle put it. Something can make the difference.

I’ve been getting a fair bit of attention the past few months because of EducateDeviate. I was actually shortlisted for KLue’s Blue Chilli Awards, but I think I’ve been kicked out because I couldn’t make interviews and photoshoots this week (no fair! there should have been advanced notice!). Second time a magazine has turned me down at the last minute (feh). Interestingly, an article I wrote two years ago, which led to one of the most-commented posts on EducateDeviate until now, has now become an email/blog forward thanks to it being posted on one of the Malaysian homeschooling Yahoogroups. So there’s my Internet notoriety. Heh.

The people I’ve highlighted above didn’t fear the repercussions when they set off on their projects. They made careful choices along the way (such as Kyle’s careful choosing of the trades he made) but were more than willing to make big risks and just do really extraordinary things.

The most extraordinary being that they started.

What is your inspiring but slightly nutty idea? Have you done it already? Why or why not?

 

Those of you at the Admissions Workshop right now…

…how is it going?

 

I’m sorry, and thank you

Hi all,

I’m sorry I didn’t make it as a KaosPilot, or even a TestPilot (the shortlisted folk). My request for reconsideration was turned down. At this stage, nothing short of a miracle would help me get through.

The Rotterdam school is taking in applications. I’m not sure if I want to apply. This has been a huge shock for me and at this point I’m not sure if I’m willing to risk it all again.

Thank you for your support, your kind words, all the help I’ve received through the past months. I’m sorry the journey was so short and didn’t really amount to much.

Unless I decide to apply to Rotterdam (and that would be in May), this would likely be the last blog entry for a while. Once again I thank you all wholeheartedly for your support and kindness.

Be well.

 

It’s over.

They won’t change their mind.

 

Tiara’s not a Kaos Pilot… :-(

Hi all, I’m Mark, Tiara’s boyfriend. I’m just letting you know that Tiara just found out that she was not short-listed for Team 15 in Denmark.

Her reaction broke my heart. She’s been striving for this, dedicating her life to it since she found out about it. I don’t know how they chose, but it wasn’t based on effort. Tiara’s quite upset, this is a cruel blow.

It would be great if you guys could lend her a hand. Support, well wishes, however you can. Please be positive, this is a time for backing her up. It would be great if some of you could help her out.

Mark C-F

 

Have a go at this logo

I had a go at creating a logo for future use on my KP stuff (the website, merchandise, etc). It was created very quickly on Adobe Illustrator, and as you can tell, I don’t really have all that much experience or skill with design:

It’s meant to be two paper planes with a dashed path between them. the bottom left hand corner of the path is a loop; the “Flying Through Kaos” caption should ideally besitting next to it, not on it. Also, I was thinking that the bottom paper plane (going towards the right) should be in side profile, so you can see the bottom bit of the plane.

Anyone want to try redesigning this logo? It would be greatly appreciated!