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The Student Voice of Ngee Ann Polytechnic

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Powerpuff Girls of NP

By Ievan Darwin ⋅ October 5, 2011 ⋅

Meet the ladies who rule the school,
the ones who guard your coffee, tea
and afternoon snack spree. By Ievan Darwin

You may find the three aunties here familiar. They are the friendly faces you see at Makan Place, Munch and Co-op who go the extra mile to make you smile.

The Playful One

You see her making your kopi, and she greets you with a wide smile even with the heavy load of hot water to tend to. She is none other than the bubbly 48-year-old, Ms Karen Lee, and she has been serving drinks for two years at Makan Place.

When you greet her and ask about her day, she replies in the wittiest, funniest ways. Most days, she laughs, “I see handsome boy like you, I okay.”

When asked about her friendly demeanour she says, “Students make me happy and working here cannot garang (fierce) one, as my job is to serve even though they are just students.”

She confesses to having problems at home, but coming to work and meeting students bring her joy. That is the reason she comes back to work every day, serving with a smile and nothing less.

Ms Lee knows that her nature to make small talk and smile enables her to connect on a more personal level, which she feels is important to bringing in customers.

Of course the humorous lady had to say that she wanted to wear a cheongsam for a “photoshoot” for this article, and
she made it clear that during the “photoshoot”, nobody should be prettier than her. When asked where her cheongsam is from, she laughs, “My cheongsam hasn’t arrived from China. It takes a lot of gong fu (skilled craftsmanship) to make.”

The Motherly Figure

You never know what to expect when you ask a person the obligatory ‘How are you?’ but for Ms Rosalyn Low, 53, who has been here for almost a year, she will always reply, “still in one piece.”

The Block 82 Co-op lady meets students who attend lectures at halls 75 to 79 every day when they patronise her Co-op for their fix of snacks and drinks.

Ms Low comments that NP students’ good attitude makes her happy working here. She says, “The students here are well-behaved, frankly speaking, and very friendly.”

“A number of students greet me and ask about my mood and I am happy that they do that,”
says Ms Low.

She has two children, aged 20 and 21. “I treat each student who comes here as my kid, no matter how naughty they are.”

When told about students praising her for her nice and polite demeanour, she questions, “You mean I very nice?”

After her stint as a supervisor in a gift shop, she realised that NP students are friendlier as compared to customers outside.

“I have been in this line before and I have met with nastier customers… NP has a very good environment.”

The Cheerful One

With her cool, red hair and ever infectious voice and laughter, you cannot miss Ms Elyn Koh, 37 years old.

She started working at Canteen 3 three years ago, and is now in-charge of the drinks stall at Munch.

If you were to go through a bad day in school, talking to Ms Koh would instantly cheer you up. She may be older in years but her youthful outlook on life makes her a great start to your day.

On NP students, she says, “They are very courteous, love to joke around and are friendly.”

“I always smile to the customer because I know my customer will feel happy,” says Ms Koh. She feels that “with an angry face, people won’t feel nice.”

Ms Koh likes students who strike conversations with her. She says, “Some students can talk to me and I feel good.”

Simple greetings touch her heart. She is glad that students bother about her and treat her differently.

When told that her youthful spirit allows students to connect with her at a personal level, she replies shyly, “No, I am old already, no more young.”