Humans of Orchan | Christina How

Orchans' Senior PR Executive

Christina is a passionate individual who believes every day is a learning process – be it big or small lessons. She is attentive and is always ready to listen to you – be it about work, personal life or for you to vent. Career wise, she is not defined by her job title. She possesses the curiosity of an intern (always keen to learn and is zealous about the “new” experience), has the dedication of an executive and takes ownership of her work almost as much as her superiors do in theirs.

Okay. It is weird writing from a third person point of view, especially when you’re writing about yourself.

 

Thank you, Han Sen, for the photograph!

Hello! I’m Christina from Orchan Consulting and I love music and photography among many other things (such as wine, beach, motorsports and travelling). I know, I know – this is not speed dating. But do stay (please, or my boss will blame me for chasing you away).

As Ed Sheeran strums his guitar and sings in my ears, I was brought on a retrospective journey; and I cannot help but feel time quickly passing by. Sometimes it’s scary: feeling like you don’t have a firm grip on time, or simply feel as though your days are passing all too quickly. But for most parts, I find myself enjoying each day in and out of the office. And they do say – time flies when you have fun. Says a lot about the company I’m with, doesn’t it? :)

I’ve been with Orchan Consulting for two years, as of today. Having started off as an intern and now a senior executive, I’ve learned so much. In an environment such as Orchan, it is near impossible to end up learning nothing – but that also depends on whether you are keen to learn, and not just come in because you need the credit to graduate. Okay, okay – I shall not sidetrack.

I’ve heard of many stories where interns are treated as though they were coffee-boy or delivery-girl. I have also heard about how a lot of interns are not getting proper work experience, and I feel sorry for them. Because where I am, I truly learned as an intern – and I still am learning. I’m put on the spot, I’m out in the field – but I’m no coffee-delivery girl (albeit occasional orange / apple juice lady). Here, I’m learning the works, I’m gaining the experience.

Being part of Orchan is something I’m thankful for almost everyday (no one said it’s perfect; there are some days when you just need that extra glass of wine). I may have tough leaders to follow, but the experience that comes with overcoming challenges from different clients of different fields alongside these leaders surpasses them being “tough”. I guess you can call it “tough love”.

I’ve had many people telling me that they don’t enjoy their work or “there’s so much more work than I subscribed to” (but then again that’s the problem with a lot of people in my generation – the Gen Ys). Some have been hopping from one company to another in hopes to find a job they truly enjoy. And here I am looking forward to the next of… Is there another word for work, in the context of “do what you love and never work a day in your life”? Well, you get what I mean.

Sure, I enjoy the weekends. But, I don’t dread my weekdays. I look forward to not just ‘working’ per se, but to hang out with a group of people who are influential in my life, both in big and small ways; a group of people who are not too selfish to share what they’ve learned; a group of people who are not merely friends but family, and most importantly, a group of people who will be proud to see you grow. That’s the perks of a boutique PR company, I guess. But, that’s for another time.

For now, cheers to a great New Year! Be sure to watch this space; definitely more to come! :)