Saturday, November 8, 2008
Final ReflectionI still remembered the first day of class when Hannah, Yuk Lum and I were standing outside the class thinking of why the previous class was eating into our lesson time. But in fact, our lesson had started and it was already half way through the ice breaker game! Now, there is only one more week left before this module ends. Time really flies in a blink!
Looking back at my first post, I associated communication only to speaking. Through this module, I was exposed to various channels of communication like blog posts, minutes, group report, resume and cover letter and oral presentation. It had helped me to widen my scope on communication, allowing me to understand the bigger picture now.
I used to think that words are not important. But now I feel otherwise. Saying things clearly when they have to be said if not, they will be rendered useless. No matter how you may feel in your heart, if you do not tell the other party then it will be meaningless. The interactive classes had ‘forced’ me to speak up, and now I am more comfortable in expressing myself. Through this module, I have also learnt to be more sensitive and empathetic. Now I am more observant to non-verbal cues, this helped greatly in giving the right response at the right time. Thus, I rarely have conflicts with my friends now.
Undeniable, there were times when I was really lost and stressed during this module especially when given tasks on something that I had no experience on, like resume and cover letter. But having early exposure to new experience is beneficial as I would not be lost when the real time comes! Overall, it is a really enjoyable experience having such a spontaneous class, and encouraging lecturer who is always positive towards our performance!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Biodata
Through decades of discovering myself, I still have a long way to go before putting together the whole picture. But at least I have found some bits and pieces that I feel best describe me along the way.
No doubt, I strongly feel that I am a principled person. I do not agree in following the crowd even if this makes me the minority. I believe this is what makes me unique from the rest.
However, being principled does not mean that I force people around me to adopt my principles too. People depend on one another in their lives, and each person's mentality, personal opinion and thoughts help complement this. Thus, I do respect different thinking and accept perceptively.
Also, I am proud to be a reflective person. Being reflective is extremely important to see my strengths and weakness. This not only allows me to improve interpersonal skills but also discover my potential capabilities.
However, I find myself a little too quiet. I only warm up to people when I get close enough or rather, when people know me well enough. Take time and you will find a brand new me! :D
Image taken from: http://www.moreno-stone.co.il/playground/humor/photo/smile%20cat.jpg
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Reflecting on the Research Project Experience
The commencement of the research project came at the same time when I was preparing for four tests. Looking back, it was really a hectic experience but nonetheless, fun and memorable.
I felt that one of the important points which I have learnt from this group report was how to be empathetic. The members of my group were not particular with the amount of work assigned to them. We would always voice out our difficulties and the other group members would always understand, accommodate and thus, took the initiative to cover the work. This factor was why our report was made possible in a tight period of time as all of us cooperated effectively; no time was wasted on unwillingness to put in extra effort and left the progress stagnant. When seeing someone taking initiatives, the rest would also get motivated and thus worked harder too.
Also being a good team player was very important in contributing to overall team efficiency and productivity. Since I am close to Hannah and Yuk Lum, it was quite hard to accept the negative comments from them. Through this report, I have learnt to be objective; to separate work from life. This helped in reducing biasness in decision making too. It is very true to say that we learn more from mistakes, this applies to negative comments too. Be more perceptive and the knowledge and experience gained would thus be tremendous.
Since this was a team report, clear communication was inevitability an important factor. Always clarify doubts by asking questions so as to ensure the report progress smoothly. Other than face-to-face communication, we kept in touch via electronic mails too. This was very effective to plan for meetings before hand, record meetings content and also, keep track of the deadlines. Also, non-verbal gestures like giving every member a hi-five really boost our morale and effectively bond us closer as these showed supports to members when working towards the same goal!
I am really happy to see the product that we have worked hand in hand from scratch, though the path was never easy. But only through the tough way, then will we be able to experience and learn more. No doubt, I have grown and these experiences will sure benefit me in the future.
Edited on: 18/10/2008
image taken from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Working_Together_Teamwork_Puzzle_Concept.jpg
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Intercultural Conflict
I can still remember the incident vividly…
It was two years ago, when I was studying in junior college. A group of us were chosen to represent the class in an art competition. We were all excited over the fun competition and dashed straight to the library after school to brainstorm on the ideas. S, being the most artistic talented among us, was chosen to sketch out the outline of our art piece. While S was engrossed in her work, one of our Indian classmates (M) happened to be studying nearby came over to see the progress. She was so thrilled by S’s artistic talent and expressed her support and encouragement by tapping on S’s shoulder. Suddenly, S turned stiffed and kept brushing her shoulder with annoyance. M was puzzled by her reaction but was clearly unhappy towards the way S reacted. After that, both of them treated each other with hostility for quite some time.
To many, giving a tap on the shoulder is a way to express encouragement. However, to Chinese (of course there are always exceptions) tapping on the shoulder is disastrous as we believe that good luck will evaporate with a tap thus bringing bad luck.
Through this incident, I have learnt the importance of showing sensitivity to different people especially those who are from different cultures. In another words, be empathetic is important. We should always put ourselves in the others’ shoes so as to communicate with understanding of the others’ situation. In this way, communication will be carried out in a more effective way.
Also, there are a lot more ways of conveying our feelings. Do not use it if you are unsure of. In this case, words of encouragement are definitely the safest and most effective communication channel. :D
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Potential Research Topic
Reduce, Reuse Recycle.
We started chanting this waste hierarchy since young and did numerous school projects on this topic. But did the importance really get ingrained in our mind? Have we put in conscious efforts to carry out the three simple Rs?
Here, let us just focus on one of the three components of the waste hierarchy, recycling. How many people really understand the meaning of recycling? And put in a conscious effort of doing so? Most of the wastes are materials that are depleting or cannot be replaced quickly enough because of the amazing speed that we consume. By recycling, we not only slow down the process of depletion, also there are other benefits such as:
- Saving energy as it usually takes less energy to make recycled products. For example, recycled aluminium takes 95% less energy than new aluminum from bauxite ore.
- Saving clean air and water. In most cases, making products from recycled materials creates less air pollution and water pollution than making products from virgin materials.
- Saving natural resources by making products from recycled materials instead of virgin materials.
- Saving landfill space. When the materials that you recycle go into new products, they don't go into landfills or incinerators, so landfill space is conserved.
These benefits are especially important in Singapore's context because water, land and natural resources are extremely scarce. Thus, recycling is vital in order for our future generations to have a comfortable environment to live in.
But how many people really put in the effort to sort the wastes before throwing them into the respective bins? For those living in HDB flats, there will be a recycling plastic bag left outside every door step every month, but how many families really separate the recyclables from the non-recyclables? Even if some people did, are they aware that different materials have to be separated for easy sorting? For example, staples have to be removed from papers. Inappropriate sorting not only reduces efficiency in production, but also increases manufacturing cost.
Small efforts start from the individuals. In this project, I would like to examine the level of awareness of the HDB residents. The research question I will like to pose is: How do the residents use the recycle plastic bags? An attitudinal survey would help by assessing their knowledge and how aware are they on the topic of recycling. Through this research report, we hope to bring public awareness not only on recycling but also in an effective way. Otherwise, recycling will only waste more unnecessary cost and effort.
-edited on 7/9/2008-
Image taken from: https://www.britdoc.org/foundation/recycling.php
Solutions…Hey dear friends, thank you for the useful comments. :D
The most important question I should ask myself now is: do I wish to continue this friendship. And no doubt my answer is yes. If this is the case I have to accept her for being who she is. It is almost impossible to change people’s mindset; instead I’m in control of my own thinking. Knowing that having a good listening ear is what she expects in our friendship, I should pay more attention to this aspect. Give what she needs. :)
However in relationships, by giving alone is not going to work out. Compromising plays an important part too. Clara and I always give in to Peggy thinking that it’s useless to tell how we wish she can listen to us more since that’s how her personality is. Now come to think of it, if we are not telling her, she might not be even conscious of this part of her personality!
Also, learn to look at things from the other person’s angle. By doing so, we can comprehend their behaviours more. Look more on the good instead of the bad. J
Thank you again friends for the valuable suggestions. I really appreciate them. :DImage taken from: http://www.brownsgallery.co.uk/prints/doug_hyde/index.htm
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Resolving Interpersonal Conflict
I have two close secondary school friends, Peggy and Clara.
Since secondary school days, Peggy has this habit of calling me at night to complain about how stressed she was especially when we were preparing for our Ordinary Level Examinations, even when we see each other at school everyday. Till now, she still call me often to complain about how bad her studies are (even though her CAP is 4.1) and how her crush is not interested in her.
So when I encounter some problems, I expected her to lend a listening ear like I always do to her. But when I shared my problems with her, she just laughed them off or replied simply with a nonchalant ‘okay’ or ‘I see’ and continued complaining about her own problems. Her replies really frustrated me because I felt that the only thing she was concerned about was her own issues.
The matter got worse when Clara’s birthday so happened to fall within her exam period. Without feeling apologetic, she made us cancelled the celebration, which she had agreed to turn up, to concentrate on her papers. We felt really disappointed by her self-centred actions so Clara and I decided to confront her. However, Peggy did not seem to realise that she was in the wrong.
Different people revolve around different things in life thus we prioritize differently. But it is really hard to get along if our perceptions are so different. We have been friends for six years; I really hope that this disagreement will not affect our friendship. How can I make Peggy understand our feelings and be more sensitive in the future?
Solutions…
