whatever happened to your smile?

It has been said that it takes fewer muscles to smile than it does to smile. And yet, you don’t get a lot of them from strangers as you go about your daily routine.

I remember walking along Orchard Road one day on my own. I was waiting to meet my mum and I had about an hour to spare. It was a hot and humid afternoon (ever so typical of Singapore’s weather). The heat, coupled with having so much time with nothing much to do, I became frustrated and highly irritable. However, this all changed unexpectedly. It happened just as this stranger, in his late sixties, flashed me a great big smile. At that moment, I smiled too and lifted my spirits. Once again, I’ve been struck by the power of smiling. It really is contagious, I thought. Thank you stranger for your therapeutic smile!

On a separate occasion, I was on the bus on my way home. I looked up and saw this lady who was in her late forties. I smiled to her. Unfortunately, I wasn’t returned with a smile. She had a look of disgust and ridicule on her face, probably thinking there was something wrong with me up there (i.e. in my head). It was sad and I actually felt embarrassed having smiled at her. I know I shouldn’t be. So I decided to try again. This time, I smiled at a little girl. She smiled back with the sweetest of smiles and an innocence of gaze. I do not know if the little one was aware of her actions, but it made me feel really happy and fuzzy inside.

Mother Theresa once said, “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." So this is what I am going to do, I am going to smile a lot more, to spread the joy and share the love. I encourage everyone to do it. It isn’t too hard to do. And it would make the society we live in a more friendly and sociable one!

So let’s flex those facial muscles, people! SMILE!!!

Have a Nice Day!

It is actually quite difficult to think of a topic to blog about here. This blog isn't the same as my own personal blog where I can rant and share about my daily life. It isn't the same as my tumblog where I can randomly reblog and post pictures or quotes that I like. It isn't the same as twitter where I can just text whatever I am thinking/doing at this very moment. This blog, on its own, is unique. It is a need-to-think-before-I-post type of blog. 

But now, I'm in an after-exams type of 'mode' and it is time to have some fun before I dive into laboratory work. 

When I feel inspired to churn something out, I know where to do that. HERE! Till then! 

Word to the Wise.

This final post serves as the final blog post I will be posting for ES2007S (2009/2010 Semester II). But it does not mark the end of our journey to becoming effective communicators. It is only the beginning. As we go our separate ways, I hope you all remember the lessons we have learnt and the wonderful bonds you have helped to create. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Don't be afraid to try. It is through these wrong decisions that we gain experience and we thus learn from it. I wish you all a wonderful learning experience ahead!!

But this might not mark the end of this blog. I do like the blog address (haha). I've been inspired to try to put in an effort to keep this blog going. I will try! Till next time, my fellow readers! :)

As Good As It Gets

Time flies. To me, it feels like I just came back from my exchange programme in London and I’m still struggling to get used to the pace of studying in NUS. And yet, 13 weeks have passed.

This module was one that I started out not really enjoying due to the amount of work that had to be done with each session. However, it turned out to be one of the modules that I grew to love and enjoy so very much. It was a pleasure working with Brad and the wonderful classmates in Group 8.

I’ll be honest here. I bided for this module for various reasons other than truly wanting to improve my communication skills. Firstly, I was told it was a really slack module by a friend (Well, to all those who thought the same, we were proven wrong, weren’t we?). Secondly, there was no final examination and I really do prefer modules that do not have a final exam so I can focus on studying for my other core modules. However, after taking this module, my perspectives have changed. I have gained so much from this module in this one semester.

I’ve gained much more confidence in myself when it comes to writing, be it for a semi-formal setting as in the blog posts, or for more formal settings such as writing business correspondences, job application letters and the resume. I do have a personal blog, but it is not as formal as this one. Initially I was really afraid of the comments I’d receive at the end of each blog post, I don’t know how my fellow classmates would react to my writings. But with time, this fear was transformed into excitement to find out what they have to say, and also how I can improve. It made the whole learning process all the more fun and enjoyable. I love to read blog posts and the comments that follow. I like to put myself in the other person’s shoes for a bit and to see the world through their eyes.

I’ve also picked up some pretty good presentation and sell-yourself techniques. Thanks to the feedback I’ve received from Brad and my fellow classmates, I now know what some of the flaws I have in my presentations and I will work to correct them. Through the mock interviews (though it was kind of staged), I feel I am aware of some of the things that the interviewer might look out for. With knowledge of these and resume and application writing skills, I might just be able to market myself to clinch my ideal job in the future, just maybe. The mock interviews were so much fun! Playing a role that is different from who you really are, like playing the bad guy (recalls Joshua’s evil persona); and knowing how your classmates feel about your performance. I remember Jie Ren telling Goh Chern (I think) that I was going to be a very strict interviewer and just recently, I learnt that Diana (1) found it hard to be mean to me. All in all, this made the mock interviews a really fun experience.

Indeed, the writing, interview and presentation skills were great takeaways from this course. But, the greatest takeaway for me is the wonderful friends that I have made. All these experiences wouldn’t have been as wonderful as they were if it wasn’t for wonderful classmates and an ever so supportive lecturer. They have provided me with encouragement and have made the sessions fun. Preparing for the various assignments might have felt like a chore, but attending class was one of the things I look forward to on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Thank you Brad for the patience and guidance you have showered us with. Thank you Clement, Diana, Emily, Glenn, Godwin, Goh Chern, Jasper, Jie Ren, Jolene, Joshua, Kian Leong, Kun Lin (pity you couldn’t join us for the last session), Pei Rong, Rohan, Weiying and Zhisheng for being such wonderful classmates. It has been a pleasure working with you all! :)

TGIF!

Thank goodness it’s finished!

Just thinking back to the Tuesday session of last week’s ES2007S class, our proposals were going through feedback of our proposals. Who would be presenting in next Tuesday’s session was to be decided. I honestly wasn’t too keen on being the first to present. Then again, who likes that? That unsure and slightly intimidating feeling is a rather unpleasant one. So it went round that some had a test that afternoon, a few had their thesis to submit. EXCUSES! My group remained silent as neither of us had a test that day nor did we have a thesis paper due. The opportunity to be the first was then presented to us. So be it!

Preparation

It did worry us that we had last than one week to prepare for our ‘debut’. But, we managed.Overall, I think the slides that we prepared looked really good. I must say, Godwin did a really great job with the template of the slides! I was totally wow-ed when I first saw the almost finalized version of the slides. He made a really good choice with the template. Clement did a fine job as the chairperson too! With his leaderships and ideas, it might have been difficult to tie up all the loose ends. It was quite unfortunate that, due to the lack of time, we barely had the chance to properly rehearse for the presentation.

I feel that if we had more time, we would feel much better about our whole presentation. I do not know about what the rest think, but that is how I felt. For me, I might have been lacking in confidence. Not quite having sufficient time to prepare, I perhaps wasn’t as confident as I had hoped to be.

Dun dun dun! – Showtime

It was time for us to share with others what we’ve done over the past few weeks. Of course I feel that we did a good job during the presentation. I like to think positively. 

However, upon reflection, I don’t really think I performed as well as I had hoped. Strangely, I was not too nervous about presenting at the start. But things changed as I progressed further and further. Towards to end of my presentation, I began to get a little flustered. A sudden mental block had pounced on me causes me to lose pace. Thank goodness for Clement who gave a little hint and I managed to finish up my part and pass the time over to Godwin. This could have definitely been avoided if I had more confidence.

As Brad had pointed out to me afterwards, it did indeed feel like I had some sort of script in my head. It was as if once I was up there, I subconsciously hit the ‘Play’ button and I just went on and on. This is something I need to work on.

Credits

We did our best during the presentation despite several hiccups along the way. There definitely is room for improvement. That aside, all of us put in a great deal of effort in drawing up the proposal and preparing for the final presentation.

Thank you for all the supportive nods and smiles from everyone during the oral presentation! Thank you all for appreciating that we were the first group to present!

I have been waiting so long to put this down on this post. At the very beginning when Brad allocated the groupings, I was seriously quite worried about working with Godwin and Clement. I do not know why. I just felt that way. But to my surprise, things worked out really well. I felt that the dynamics within this team really played out well. Thank you guys for making this such a wonderful learning experience!

Finally, thank you Brad for grouping us the way you did and for the guidance and feedback you have provided along the way!

I look forward to reading all your comments regarding my oral presentation.

Come Friday, it’s my turn to ask the questions. *evil smirk*

Proposal: Background information Draft #1

Based on the admission exercise information provided to applicants by National Institute of Education (NIE) Singapore in 2010, approximately 50% (575 of 1165) of the applicants admitted into the Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) programme were engineering and science graduates. It can thus be inferred that many engineering and science students from NUS enter the teaching career upon graduation. To be effective educators, teachers need to be equipped with good communication skills. Unfortunately, it is observed that engineering and science graduates do not possess the necessary competency in the required communication skills that would benefit them in the role as a teacher.

Teacher quality is widely recognized as one of the most important factors in the process of education and therefore, represents a promising focus for efforts aimed at school improvement. Based on the research conducted by Harris, Rutledge, Ingle and Thompson (2007), principals in general, consistently indicate a preference for teachers who display strong communication skills. Schulte, Slate and Onwuegbuzie (2008) further hypothesized a list of communication skills that effective teachers have. In of this list, the following skills pertaining to oral communication were identified:

• Ability to read body language (i.e. non-verbals),

• Good listening skills and listening to students,

• Ability to interact effectively with students,

• Being able to clarify when needed

• Teachers should also have the ability to effectively convey knowledge to students

Many institutions, including NUS, recognize the importance of preparing students for the workforce. Aside from imparting the essential knowledge of their field, these institutions also facilitate the acquisition of various oral communication skills, necessary not only in teaching but also in the various sectors of the workforce. Within the NUS society, such communication skills are introduced to the students via the various enrichment modules. However, the current efforts to expose students to the various communication skills might not be enough. This is especially so for the students from the Faculty of Science (FoS) and the Faculty of Engineering (FoE).

For science undergraduates, some communications courses are available, such as SP1203, Foundation in Effective Communication, and ES2007S, Professional Communication. However, there is no strict requirement in the curriculum for them to undertake such modules. Hence, undergraduates may complete their course of study in NUS without ever having developed their communication skills. Furthermore, only a limited number of vacancies are available for these courses each semester, which further hinders the efforts to equip science undergraduates with valuable oral communication skills.

The situation is only slightly different for engineering undergraduates. Engineering undergraduates are expected to take one communications module, EG1413, Critical Thinking and Writing, throughout their course of study. However, through our team member’s experience with this module, one semester is not enough to successfully inculcate students with the necessary communication skills. Moreover, the list of skills crucial in oral communications, as mentioned above (Section 2.1), is not covered in this module. Besides this, ES2007S is also open to FoE undergraduates, but similar to the situation within FoS, this module is not compulsory and there are limited vacancies.

This situation is further exacerbated by the fact that graduates who ultimately choose a teaching career in junior colleges are also given inadequate training in communications skills during their 1-year pre-teaching training (PGDE programme) at the NIE. During this programme, NIE trainees are only required to undertake two modules (QKS520, Knowledge Skills: Interdisciplinary Studies, and QLK520, Communication Skills for Teachers) that are targeted to improve their effective communication and presentation skills. However, given our own experiences with communications skills, a one year period might not be sufficient to impart these abilities. The training provided by the NIE would probably be more beneficial and meet greater success in producing effective teachers for junior colleges, if student-teachers were better prepared in such skills prior to admission to NIE.

We can change the world

This story that you are about to read is something I witnessed two years ago. You might have had such experiences before or you might be able to relate. These incidences can be avoided if everyone paid a little more attention and respect to other cultures within our society.

Instead of stating the characters involved, I have decided to name them for easy reference. Tim is the young punk involved, who looked no more than 18 years old. Amy is his girlfriend. Encik Rizal is the uncle from the Halal Mee Goreng stall and Mr. Chan is the uncle from the drinks stall.

After a busy morning of grocery shopping, my parents and I decided to head over to the hawker centre at Bukit Merah Central for lunch. Two tables to my right, Tim and Amy were also having their lunch. Amy had ordered Hainanese Chicken Rice while Tim was still waiting for his food.

A short while later, Encik Rizal came with two plates of Mee Goreng. One plate belonged to Tim and the other belonged to a man at the table next to his. Encik Rizal delivered Tim’s order to him first before heading over to the next table. When he turned around, he saw Amy who was about to dig her fork into Tim’s plate of Mee Goreng. Encik Rizal walked over to tell the youths to be careful to not use the utensils from non-halal food stalls to eat the halal food.

Instead of taking things calmly, Tim got annoyed by what Encik Rizal said and brushed him off. Encik Rizal tried to re-emphasize his point that by doing so they are not respecting the Muslims. Tim then started yelling at the poor Encik.
“What I do is my business! My girlfriend wants to eat with her fork, so she eats with her fork! Go away!” 

Encik Rizal replied, “But Boy, the chicken rice is not halal. If you do that, you are contaminating my utensils. Show some respect for my religion please!”

Tim got up from his seat and started insulting Encik Rizal in Mandarin. Amy tried to stop Tim from causing the commotion but to no avail. Encik Rizal was patient with Tim until this was said, “You terrorist! Go back to your own country and don’t come back!”

Encik Rizal was furious and was so close to slapping Tim on the face but he was stopped by Mr. Chan from the drinks stall. Mr. Chan reprimanded Tim for his lack of respect for other cultures and asked him to leave. Tim showed no remorse. He glared at the two older men, slammed his hand on the table and walked off. Poor Amy was apologetic and rushed to join her boyfriend.

This whole incident was appalling. I never knew there were such people in Singapore who would behave as Tim did, rude and disrespectful. Tim does not represent how the rest of the population might react, but it does show of a general lack of understanding towards other cultures and their customs among some individuals in our society.

Singapore is a multi-racial society and there is a need to be more conscious of the cultural difference present. Greater respect and understanding towards the different cultural groups in Singapore can be instilled into the young through education. And a heightened level of awareness can be advocated among the youths. This might help to avoid cultural conflicts. It doesn’t take too much effort to do so, and it causes us no harm. This would help to create a peaceful and harmonious multicultural society. So, why not?

Blog # 4, 2nd draft: Right Here Waiting. - edited as of 8th Feb

Details of the job I am applying for can be found here: http://sg.dimension.jobsdb.com/career/Default.asp?PID=3&AC=SGH&EC=007&GC=&JobID=4741&FR=JOBSDB&CC=SG

7^th February 2010

Dear Sir/Madam

POST OF CLINICAL RESEARCH CO-ORDINATOR

I am writing in response to your JobsDB advertisement posted on 21st January 2010 for the position of Clinical Research Co-ordinator.

I am a graduate from National University of Singapore (NUS) with a Degree in Life Sciences with Specialization in Biomedical Science. Although I do not have any clinical trial experience, I am willing to put in the extra time and effort to learn. I am confident that my education and my eagerness to learn have prepared me for the position that you have available. My unique abilities will enable me to contribute significantly toward your objectives.

The opportunity presented in this listing is very interesting and I believe that my ability to work well with others and my dedication qualify me to handle the responsibilities of the position. During my course of study in NUS, I have consistently managed to deliver engagements within time constraints. I strive for continued excellence.  I also display strong leadership talents, “team player” attitude and spirit, and the natural ability to establish consensus among cross-functional lines. My leadership skills and commitment entitled me to be a Gold award recipient for the National Youth Achievement Award Scheme in 2009. My exemplary character also led to my selection as a representative for Catholic Junior College in a dialogue session with officials from the Ministry of Education concerning character development in 2006. These qualities combined with my dedication should enable me to make a positive impact in your organization.

Enclosed is a copy of my resume for your review. I would welcome a personal interview at your earliest convenience to discuss your needs and objectives and the possibility of working together to meet them. I can be contacted at the number and email address indicated below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your time.

Best Regards


Tang An Ting Nicole
(here you are meant to see my address and contact details;

but omitted due to the lack of privacy on the World Wide Web.)

When all is said and done...

I would like to thank those who commented on my previous post for your time and useful comments. It has indeed helped me in formulating a potential solution to resolve this conflict.

What would I have done if I was in Becky’s shoes? 

I would keep the friendship with Andy and that of with Carl separately, ensuring that the two realms of friendship do not accidentally overlap and cause any further cross-fires. 

I would allow ample time for Carl to calm down and come to terms with what has happened. I am willing to give it as long as it takes. It is not easy to have a friendship with people for such a long time and I do not want it to end just like that.

When I feel the time is right, I will softly sound Carl about his opinion of Andy’s decision and how much does he value the friendship that the three of us have shared for so long. Also, I would approach Andy and ask of his opinion on how he would perceive the friendship the three of us after all this. I feel it is important to hear what both of them think about what is left of this friendship and work from there.

If I receive positive feedback from the both of them, I would then arrange for a meet-up for all to gather and talk when I feel is most appropriate. Should things go accordingly, I strongly believe that the bond the three of us share would be stronger than it was before.

Back to reality, that conflict has not been resolved yet. It is currently in the “cooling off” phase. Maybe if that last meeting had not been arranged, things might have played out differently. Who knows? What’s done is done. We can’t turn back the clock to undo our actions now.

These things take time and it cannot be rushed. I do hope for the best for Andy, Becky and Carl. The friendship they had was a really beautiful one and it is a pity to see it break just like that.

When it all falls apart...

Based on a true story of three friends and how a piece of news had serious consequences on their friendship. Names of the characters have been changed to protect the individuals. Only some minor modifications have been made.

Andy, Becky and Carl have been best of friends for a very long time. They’ve known each other since secondary school and their friendship has only become stronger year after year.  The year 2010 would have marked the fourteenth year they have known each other.

On a fine Tuesday afternoon, Andy asked Becky out for lunch and confided in her, sharing with her one secret that he has kept from the group for a couple of years now. Andy was gay. He explained that he had been keeping it from them as he wasn’t sure how they would react to the news of his sexual orientation. At that moment, he felt that he was ready to share the news with Becky as he felt that she would be more open to it and will continue accepting him for who he is. However, he urged Becky not to tell Carl and she agreed. They both knew that Carl would not be so accepting of this piece of news that their dear friend was a homosexual.

However, Carl found out this little secret in the worst possible way. Carl coincidentally bumped into Andy on the bus on his way home from work. Andy and his partner were holding hands. When Carl saw this, he alighted the bus immediately at the next stop, refusing to listen to any explanation from Andy. Andy tried to contact Carl that night but was unsuccessful. Andy then called Becky and explained to her what had happened.

The week after, Becky successfully arranged a meeting with Carl, without Carl knowing that Andy would be there as well. Andy and Becky thought it would be a good opportunity for him to honestly tell Carl of his secret. When Carl turned up and saw Andy, he flared up. He was upset that he was the last to know of this, but he was even more enraged to know that his friend whom he has known for so many years, turned out to be gay. He started hurling words of abuse at Andy, expressing how disappointed he was at Andy. Becky tried to explain the situation but she was also told off.

Andy then stood up to Carl, telling him it was a choice he made and left the table. Carl shouted towards Andy, ‘If you were to turn your back on this table, do not ever consider us friends anymore.’ Andy stopped in his tracks, turned slightly to face them, and say goodbye. With a look of sadness on his face, Andy turned away and left the two.

Becky tried to explain in hope to resolve the heated atmosphere. However, before she could finish, she was interrupted by Carl. Being utterly disappointed in Becky for her support for Andy’s actions, Carl also threatened to end their friendship there and then.

Becky was caught there. She valued the friendship she had with Andy and she knows that he needed all the support he could get at this point of time. But at the same time, she didn’t want the friendship with Carl to break just like that.

If you were in her shoes, what would you do?

Do you understand what I am saying? - edited

Why is effective communication important for me?

Effective communication provides me with the platform to be able to clearly express myself and avoid confusion. On several occasions when I have some information to be passed on, I sometimes find myself getting frustrated when the receiver gets it wrong. I think to myself, how hard can it be to understand what I have just said? It isn’t too much information. It is from little heated discussions that arguments and disputes might arise. When equipped with skills in effective communication, I can be more effectively understood.

By being able to effectively communicate with others, I can forge new friendships. Effective communication promotes greater opportunities for the exchange of ideas and personal opinions thus potentially turning mere acquaintances into friends. They would be able to get to know each other better especially so when they realize that the “stranger” actually shares a similar train of thought with them. And this might mark the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

Effective Communication helps me maintain and nourish my existing ties with friends and family, while also equipping me with necessary social skills to connect with even more people. With this tool, misunderstandings are less likely to occur, and even if they do, any disputes between us can be discussed and perhaps more easily sorted out. Relationships with my friends and family mean a lot to me, and it is really depressing when someone you know becomes someone you knew. Thus, my knowing of how and when to express my opinions, the more honest I can be with myself and others, unnecessary misunderstandings and frustrations can then be avoided.

Knowledge of these skills might just give me that competitive edge over the other applicants vying for a particular job. In addition, working with other colleagues would become a whole lot easier. The initial awkwardness and feelings of intimidation arising from working with a particular person for the first time would slowly wear off as people get to know each other better. Projects could then be completed more efficiently as colleagues are more aware of the different working styles within the group and problems can be quickly resolved.

In conclusion, effective communication can serve us in so many different ways, to be able to better present ourselves and also to maintaining good relationships with others. It proves itself to be an important skill to have to assist me in my future.

Photo source: http://www.fine-tooning.com

Touch and Go!

Heya!

I've used wikis for learning purposes before but never have I used a blog for the same educational purposes. So, this should be interesting!

Let us Go Forth and LEARN!!!