ES2007S ended abruptly for me. I was not able to go for the last class on Friday, I was sick from the hot weather. I had to drag myself to school for a test in school on Friday. Anyway, Es2007S really passed very fast.
I thought that there was no better time for me to take this module. The research report was due 2 weeks before my honors year final report was due. My group's presentation was just 2 days before my honors year final presentation. To top it off, I was just sending out the resume and coverletter that I submitted for jobs during the weekend. I would actually recommend all graduating students take this module, just like in my group's presentation we suggested a compulsory "green" module. I want to point out, off my head, some great knowledge I had learnt from this module.
I thought that the 7Cs were effective guidelines to have in mind when I am writing anything, even this. The presentation skills that were discussed were extremely helpful to me in formulating my presentation and how/ what I want to deliver my message. I personally feel that when we are presenting, we want to present as many things as possible so we look more intelligent. However, that is not the case, the audience would probably be too overwhelmed to understand what is going on. I guess when we are presenting something, we need to consider what exactly we want to tell the audience and keep the presentation as simple and concise as possible. Like how one of my professors will end his lecture, he will use a "take home message". I think thats the most important use of a presentation, the audience learning something.
I felt that the report writing was a interesting experience although the data collection period was quite limited. Role-playing different authorities and groups to finally churn out the report was very effective because, I think, its important to consider the requirements or limitations of the various sides in a research study. I believe this would help me in the future.
Lastly, I want to thank Brad for sharing his experiences with us. It was quite fortunate for having someone who is so well-travelled to share his experiences.
Right, Mr National Geographic.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
My presentation
I was glad that the ES2007s presentation was over but I had another blow coming. After my presentation on Tuesday, I will be having my honors project final presentation on Thursday. It was going to be a no-nonsense presentation where 3 professors sit in front of you and listen to you and after you finish, they bombard you with questions and try to make it really difficult for you.
I am not trying to scare anyone but it was the worst half hour of my life. Alright, back to my presentation on Tuesday. Interestingly, I had always thought that I was a confident speaker but I wasn't. I have stage fright. When I was in the army, as a BMTC instructor, I was occasionally required to lecture in front of a 200 recruits lecture room and I won't fret. However, whenever I was presenting in NUS, my hands were probably as cold as the recruits that were afraid of me in army. I was quite nasty to the recruits, possibility a retribution now that I get cold feet standing in front of 15 students presenting.
I think its probably different, I later realised. In army, I am superior to the recruits and they usually don't question. However, in NUS, everyone of us are equal and we generally like to quesiton. Although it may sound straightforward and blaringly obvious, I took awhile to realise that I can't present. I had practised a lot more before the presentation on Tuesday, so that helped tremendously. I had also practised a lot for my honors project presentation, to be exact, I went over it in my room about ten times and that helped me curb with the cold feet. Finally, I hope you all liked our presentation and Banksy is just awesome.
A sidenote on Banksy. In some cities in France, if I didn't remember wrongly, his graffiti are washed away the next morning and he is considered a nuisance. However, in some cities in Europe out of France, people tear out his graffiti off walls and they are auctioned for a reasonable sum. So much for the interpretation of art.
I am not trying to scare anyone but it was the worst half hour of my life. Alright, back to my presentation on Tuesday. Interestingly, I had always thought that I was a confident speaker but I wasn't. I have stage fright. When I was in the army, as a BMTC instructor, I was occasionally required to lecture in front of a 200 recruits lecture room and I won't fret. However, whenever I was presenting in NUS, my hands were probably as cold as the recruits that were afraid of me in army. I was quite nasty to the recruits, possibility a retribution now that I get cold feet standing in front of 15 students presenting.
I think its probably different, I later realised. In army, I am superior to the recruits and they usually don't question. However, in NUS, everyone of us are equal and we generally like to quesiton. Although it may sound straightforward and blaringly obvious, I took awhile to realise that I can't present. I had practised a lot more before the presentation on Tuesday, so that helped tremendously. I had also practised a lot for my honors project presentation, to be exact, I went over it in my room about ten times and that helped me curb with the cold feet. Finally, I hope you all liked our presentation and Banksy is just awesome.
A sidenote on Banksy. In some cities in France, if I didn't remember wrongly, his graffiti are washed away the next morning and he is considered a nuisance. However, in some cities in Europe out of France, people tear out his graffiti off walls and they are auctioned for a reasonable sum. So much for the interpretation of art.
Biodata
I just realized how backwards I am on the blog posts.
I will be graduating in May 2009, which is next month, with a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Science (Applied Chemistry) with Honors. I was never certain on what I wanted to do in the future. I have been struggling since primary school when they start asking you to write compositions on your future ambitions.
Since they started asking about my ambition, I had so many ambitions or rather experiences, I will call it, that I hope to be able to do. I had wanted to be a fireman, bouncer, construction worker, so many that I can't recall now and even a beach bum. Alright, the most recent one being a doctor, possibly a plastic surgeon under the influence of Nip/Tuck.
I wouldn't call them as jobs because it would almost be sad to call them jobs. I believe in calling them an experience. A job is, in my opinion, boring, laborious and something you dread to do. I hope that I don't give my future employer the idea that I am not serious on my job and just a job hopper using this "experience" theory of mine as an excuse to change jobs.
On a serious note, I do play sports. Strangely, I represented my primary, secondary and junior college schools in basketball, soccer and rugby respectively. I also played for the varsity rugby team previuosly and I am also currently involved in a rugby club that plays in the national league. You could say that its an experience to play so many sports at the different levels. With that, I also believe that I am a team player.
Finally, I want to end by announcing my decision on the job that I will settle in after I graduate. I hope to be able to do research in Chemistry. For the past one year that I have laboriously worked myeslf down in the lab and just finally got my target compound, I can safely say that I want to carry on being a lab rat. The satisfaction was overwhelming and I am ready to experience it all over again.
Cheers,
Elvin
I will be graduating in May 2009, which is next month, with a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Science (Applied Chemistry) with Honors. I was never certain on what I wanted to do in the future. I have been struggling since primary school when they start asking you to write compositions on your future ambitions.
Since they started asking about my ambition, I had so many ambitions or rather experiences, I will call it, that I hope to be able to do. I had wanted to be a fireman, bouncer, construction worker, so many that I can't recall now and even a beach bum. Alright, the most recent one being a doctor, possibly a plastic surgeon under the influence of Nip/Tuck.
I wouldn't call them as jobs because it would almost be sad to call them jobs. I believe in calling them an experience. A job is, in my opinion, boring, laborious and something you dread to do. I hope that I don't give my future employer the idea that I am not serious on my job and just a job hopper using this "experience" theory of mine as an excuse to change jobs.
On a serious note, I do play sports. Strangely, I represented my primary, secondary and junior college schools in basketball, soccer and rugby respectively. I also played for the varsity rugby team previuosly and I am also currently involved in a rugby club that plays in the national league. You could say that its an experience to play so many sports at the different levels. With that, I also believe that I am a team player.
Finally, I want to end by announcing my decision on the job that I will settle in after I graduate. I hope to be able to do research in Chemistry. For the past one year that I have laboriously worked myeslf down in the lab and just finally got my target compound, I can safely say that I want to carry on being a lab rat. The satisfaction was overwhelming and I am ready to experience it all over again.
Cheers,
Elvin
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Evaluating Intercultural Behaviors
Here is my post on evaluating intercultural behaviors. With no idea what to write, I look into my moldy sociology textbook, a module which I took years ago. Chapter Three, Culture, flipping on, a huge word came up to me, “ethnocentrism”.
In India, the cow is a religious symbol of life so no one would slaughter cattle and eat beef. Cows are allowed to loiter the streets freely, defecate anywhere, eat grass in the middle of the road whilst the traffic halts for it to finish. In fact, using “it” here may sound a little disrespectful, I think. The state also funds homes for aged and sickly cows. Moreover, police stations come accompanied with fields for abandoned cows to stay. All these money is spent amidst the poverty and hunger in India. Most westerners will think that they must be crazy; to some, beef may be considered their staple food.
However, cherishing cows turns out to be an economically rational practice in rural India. Cows have multiple uses besides giving us beef. In farming areas, cows provide the strength to plow the land, cow manure can be used as fertilizers and even cooking fuel. Farmers there cannot afford synthetic fertilizers, large powerful tractors or even cooking gas, so preserving cows makes the most sense. Not to mention, cows provide us with milk. Furthermore, those qualified to dispose or eat dead cattle are the lowest ranking in their caste system, “untouchables”, which also includes myself since I am quite into beef. Therefore, considering the benefits one can get from cows, cow worship in India makes perfect sense economically.
So what is “ethnocentrism”? It is something that most of us are guilty of. As you are reading, you are thinking “beef tastes so good, how come they don’t eat it” then you are guilty of it. Ethnocentrism is judging someone else’s culture with the standards of your own culture, you have probably committed it when you compare other cultures to your own, more so, if you had criticized them.
Lastly, I have one recent personal experience to share. Last week, I asked my friend from India if he wanted anything from Mcdonald’s since I was ordering Mcdelivery. He said he loves to eat Big Mac, he has been eating it since he arrived in Singapore last year. He stopped eating Big Mac after I told him why they didn’t serve it in Mcdonald’s in India.
In India, the cow is a religious symbol of life so no one would slaughter cattle and eat beef. Cows are allowed to loiter the streets freely, defecate anywhere, eat grass in the middle of the road whilst the traffic halts for it to finish. In fact, using “it” here may sound a little disrespectful, I think. The state also funds homes for aged and sickly cows. Moreover, police stations come accompanied with fields for abandoned cows to stay. All these money is spent amidst the poverty and hunger in India. Most westerners will think that they must be crazy; to some, beef may be considered their staple food.
However, cherishing cows turns out to be an economically rational practice in rural India. Cows have multiple uses besides giving us beef. In farming areas, cows provide the strength to plow the land, cow manure can be used as fertilizers and even cooking fuel. Farmers there cannot afford synthetic fertilizers, large powerful tractors or even cooking gas, so preserving cows makes the most sense. Not to mention, cows provide us with milk. Furthermore, those qualified to dispose or eat dead cattle are the lowest ranking in their caste system, “untouchables”, which also includes myself since I am quite into beef. Therefore, considering the benefits one can get from cows, cow worship in India makes perfect sense economically.
So what is “ethnocentrism”? It is something that most of us are guilty of. As you are reading, you are thinking “beef tastes so good, how come they don’t eat it” then you are guilty of it. Ethnocentrism is judging someone else’s culture with the standards of your own culture, you have probably committed it when you compare other cultures to your own, more so, if you had criticized them.
Lastly, I have one recent personal experience to share. Last week, I asked my friend from India if he wanted anything from Mcdonald’s since I was ordering Mcdelivery. He said he loves to eat Big Mac, he has been eating it since he arrived in Singapore last year. He stopped eating Big Mac after I told him why they didn’t serve it in Mcdonald’s in India.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
I hope I don’t get penalized for veering off topic from evaluating intercultural behavior. After reading Mr Blackstone’s post on the 2 films and the hype about Slumdog Millionaire sweeping the Oscar awards, I felt compelled to speak up for the other best picture nominee The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which I felt was another great movie. Bizarre it may sound but The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is about a man who grew younger, he was born wrinkled in a body of an 80 year old man. He was considered a freak and abandoned. He was raised in an old folk’s home and finally died in the same place as a baby.
This movie was not a feel-good film, it wouldn’t be nominated if it was, but it was soothing. It discussed about birth and death in a subtle manner. Life (elderly admitted into the old folk's home) and death came regularly to Benjamin Button as he grew up in the old folk’s home. He proceeded to be a sailor, had an interesting affair with an English lady and then married his childhood sweetheart. The English lady and Benjamin only met in the hotel lobby every night, never looked at each other in the day if they met and never said “I love you” to each other, it was their pact. She was never happy with her “day” life, very much like us, I felt.
His childhood sweetheart, whom Benjamin eventually abandoned, he really loved her. Since Benjamin was growing younger whilst she was naturally growing older, they figured out that they were at the “middle” of their lives and enjoyed each other's company. I never understood this statement until a few days later when I read a newspaper article, a critic on this movie discussing about parents and their children meeting also “at a phrase of their lives”. The author elaborated about spending this precious phrase with her parents. Maybe, I thought to myself, this was what the director had intended to mean. That’s my interpretation.
Overall, I felt the acting was not Oscar-worthy, probably the reason why Brad Pitt didn’t win. However, I felt the story and the movie as a whole deserved the same amount of hype as Slumdog Millionaire.
This movie was not a feel-good film, it wouldn’t be nominated if it was, but it was soothing. It discussed about birth and death in a subtle manner. Life (elderly admitted into the old folk's home) and death came regularly to Benjamin Button as he grew up in the old folk’s home. He proceeded to be a sailor, had an interesting affair with an English lady and then married his childhood sweetheart. The English lady and Benjamin only met in the hotel lobby every night, never looked at each other in the day if they met and never said “I love you” to each other, it was their pact. She was never happy with her “day” life, very much like us, I felt.
His childhood sweetheart, whom Benjamin eventually abandoned, he really loved her. Since Benjamin was growing younger whilst she was naturally growing older, they figured out that they were at the “middle” of their lives and enjoyed each other's company. I never understood this statement until a few days later when I read a newspaper article, a critic on this movie discussing about parents and their children meeting also “at a phrase of their lives”. The author elaborated about spending this precious phrase with her parents. Maybe, I thought to myself, this was what the director had intended to mean. That’s my interpretation.
Overall, I felt the acting was not Oscar-worthy, probably the reason why Brad Pitt didn’t win. However, I felt the story and the movie as a whole deserved the same amount of hype as Slumdog Millionaire.
Business letter critique
I know I am very late. Sorry Mr Blackstone.
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Consultancy Fees for Staff Training and Development
Our professional fees are based upon the degree of responsibility, the skill involved and the amount of time required to complete the engagement. Such fees are based on various standard charges and reflect different categories of personal.
It is appreciated that we have been invited to submit our quotation for the provision of proper staff training resources to enhance the management skills of your company. Should you require any clarification on any aspect of our proposal, please do not hesitate to contact out head office so that our salesman for your district can make an appointment to call on you.
Obtained from: http://www.editorsoftware.com/images/plain-english/business-letter-example-1.gif
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I got the above business letter when I googled “bad business letters”. I believe this is a quotation to an enquiry from a company providing staff training and I would probably not engage this company’s services after reading this.
First and foremost, I feel that the author can be more courteous and thank the other company for enquiring first then go on and elaborate further on their charges. I think this letter will surprise the enquiring company as the opening paragraph starts discussing about the charging scheme. Although it may be direct to the point, I feel that it is very discourteous. On the topic of conciseness, the letter could be shortened and more succinct. The first 2 sentences could be shortened, translated into point form or may not even be necessary,
The last sentence of the first paragraph lacks clarity, what is meant by “reflect different categories of personal”? I would suggest a graphic or a tabulated rough fee scheme be presented for clarity. Moreover, the vague description of the type of charges lacks concrete. In view of this, I think this letter is incomplete and thus not served its purpose to inform the enquirer.
The last sentence requesting to call on the head office to dispatch the district salesman sounds odd. The district salesman could have possibly directly corresponded to this enquiry instead. However, this business letter, despite its rude tone, is grammatically correct and cohesive.
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Consultancy Fees for Staff Training and Development
Our professional fees are based upon the degree of responsibility, the skill involved and the amount of time required to complete the engagement. Such fees are based on various standard charges and reflect different categories of personal.
It is appreciated that we have been invited to submit our quotation for the provision of proper staff training resources to enhance the management skills of your company. Should you require any clarification on any aspect of our proposal, please do not hesitate to contact out head office so that our salesman for your district can make an appointment to call on you.
Obtained from: http://www.editorsoftware.com/images/plain-english/business-letter-example-1.gif
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I got the above business letter when I googled “bad business letters”. I believe this is a quotation to an enquiry from a company providing staff training and I would probably not engage this company’s services after reading this.
First and foremost, I feel that the author can be more courteous and thank the other company for enquiring first then go on and elaborate further on their charges. I think this letter will surprise the enquiring company as the opening paragraph starts discussing about the charging scheme. Although it may be direct to the point, I feel that it is very discourteous. On the topic of conciseness, the letter could be shortened and more succinct. The first 2 sentences could be shortened, translated into point form or may not even be necessary,
The last sentence of the first paragraph lacks clarity, what is meant by “reflect different categories of personal”? I would suggest a graphic or a tabulated rough fee scheme be presented for clarity. Moreover, the vague description of the type of charges lacks concrete. In view of this, I think this letter is incomplete and thus not served its purpose to inform the enquirer.
The last sentence requesting to call on the head office to dispatch the district salesman sounds odd. The district salesman could have possibly directly corresponded to this enquiry instead. However, this business letter, despite its rude tone, is grammatically correct and cohesive.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Interpersonal Conflicts: Bob and Damien
Bob (elder) and Damien are brothers that, since young, have never seen eye to eye on anything. Bob believes that their mum dotes on his younger brother (Damien) more. Bob goes to their grandmother to express his unhappiness and is thus more doted on by his grandmother. Also, because he is her eldest grandson. Damien had never been wary of Bob’s refuge to their grandmother since young. However, just recently, Damien learnt from grandmother about the accusations directed at him by Bob. This made Damien very angry but refused to clarify the issue with grandmother due to her age. Damien also avoids confronting Bob as accusations included their mother. As a result, Bob and Damien never talked there after.
Three years ago, grandmother had bought Bob a car after he got his license. Buying of this car, was much objected by mum as she didn’t want grandmother to spend the money. Nevertheless, Bob still obtained the car to much disapproval from mum and dad. Being younger, Damien got his license three years later and was eagerly wanting to drive the car. Bob was very reluctant as he felt that Damien had not supported him when he was trying to get the car. After Damien drove the car a few times and matters deteriorated, Bob showed his unhappiness. Being the obstinate and brash, Damien vowed not to drive the car again after a few arguments and this further worsened the situation.
During this year’s Chinese New Year, Bob who is already working offered Damien a red packet. Since it was for good luck, Damien accepted it unwillingly. Damien, as stubborn as a mule, thought that he would return the red packet after the first day of the lunar new year. This made mum and dad very upset
What do you think their parents should do to resolve this long term disagreement which has been brewing in Damien?
Three years ago, grandmother had bought Bob a car after he got his license. Buying of this car, was much objected by mum as she didn’t want grandmother to spend the money. Nevertheless, Bob still obtained the car to much disapproval from mum and dad. Being younger, Damien got his license three years later and was eagerly wanting to drive the car. Bob was very reluctant as he felt that Damien had not supported him when he was trying to get the car. After Damien drove the car a few times and matters deteriorated, Bob showed his unhappiness. Being the obstinate and brash, Damien vowed not to drive the car again after a few arguments and this further worsened the situation.
During this year’s Chinese New Year, Bob who is already working offered Damien a red packet. Since it was for good luck, Damien accepted it unwillingly. Damien, as stubborn as a mule, thought that he would return the red packet after the first day of the lunar new year. This made mum and dad very upset
What do you think their parents should do to resolve this long term disagreement which has been brewing in Damien?
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