Final Reflection on Learning (Post #4)

At the beginning of this semester, I have chosen to take this module as I thought it will be beneficial for me as a graduating student, and will value-add me in terms of the way I present myself, and the way I write in a formal setting. I was initially daunted by the heavy workload of the course, as I have to cope with 4 other honours modules along with this. However, I am glad to have chosen this module as my last elective as an undergraduate as I have thoroughly enjoyed the course throughout the semester. 

Although I have had to do presentations fairly frequently throughout my four years in NUS, it has never been something that I will look forward to, as my nerves will always get the better of me during presentations. This was also why I have chosen to enrol in this module, as I thought it will allow me more opportunities to hone my presentation skills. Indeed, after the numerous practices I have gotten from this module, I do believe that I have gotten better at presenting. The feedback given from Mdm Fazilah and my classmates have given me a better understanding of my strengths and weaknesses when presenting. For example, Mdm Fazilah has commented that I use too much fillers like "erm" when I present, and this is something that I am unaware of! I will now have to learn to utilise my good points, and minimise my flaws in my future presentations. 

Another huge takeaway from this module is how to craft a good cover letter and resume, something that is very relevant to me now and has greatly aided my job hunt. I also found the mock interview session very useful as it forced me to seriously think about how I would answer the questions posed to me and I believe I am better equipped to ace my job interviews now. 

I got a lot more out of this module than I thought I would, and I would definitely recommend it to my juniors in the future. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone for making my ES2007S journey such a fun and memorable one! All the best for your finals everyone!

Reflection on Team-based Research Project Proposal (Post #3)

Firstly I would like to say that it has been great fun having to be in the same project group as my team mates Wei Jun, Kok Soon and Yi Rui. Being in my honours year, it has been some time since I did a project with group members from other faculties. And with each member having been trained differently in their own field, our team dynamics have been an interesting one.

In general, our team has worked really well, and it has always been easy communicating our ideas across without having to resort to conflicts. Right from the beginning, we have worked efficiently upon deciding on our project idea of improving the infrastructural facilities at Choa Chu Kang LRT station, and have spontaneously agreed upon a date to do a site reccee, in which we have gathered most of our needed content for the proposal and presentation. After which, our team has split up the workload equally, and everyone has been committed to do what they have been allocated within a certain deadline.

Like I've said earlier, all of us are trained differently as we have different academic pursuits, and everyone is good with certain skills that another might be lacking. I would say our team members complement each other well. As a student from Arts and Social Sciences, I have had the experience of writing many different types of proposals and written reports in my four years at NUS, and I didn't think that this proposal would be any different from the rest of them. I have found out, however, that the rest of my team members have minimal opportunity to write proposals in their field of studies, and have struggled quite a bit in knowing how it should be done, or what tone to use when writing etc. In this way, I find myself having to provide suggestions for improvements when proof-reading their contributions in the proposal. Nonetheless, I am fortunate that the rest of my team did not take these suggestions as criticism, but rather, use them as a guideline to improve the proposal further.

I believe the same should be done in a working environment. Colleagues may not be entirely satisfied with another's work, but it is through effective communication that a team is able to work well together. I also feel that it is important to be humble and accept or listen to another's suggestions in the workplace, be it good or bad, in order to for oneself to improve and produce better work as a team.

Overall, I am happy with how my team worked, and would just like to say that it has been a pleasure having to work with these people and getting to know them better through this project.

Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour (Post #2)

Almost three years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong with ten of my friends at the end of freshman year. At that time, I have always had the impression that Hong Kong was very much like Singapore, only to realise there were certain aspects of Hong Kong that I had to get used to during my time there. I will elaborate further about one of them.

As much as it was fun travelling in a large group, there were many problems encountered during the trip. One of which was to find enough seats for all eleven of us at a cafe or restaurant, and this problem became more apparent when we planned to dine at a very popular cafeteria in Hong Kong on our first night. It was also when I received culture shock for the first time there. 

Upon getting a table large enough to accommodate all of us, menus were shoved at us in a nonchalant manner. As tourists, we were unfamiliar with the items on the menu, and perhaps needed a longer time to decide on what to eat. Unlike what we were used to in Singapore, a waiter was standing by the whole time hurrying us to order. Instead of ordering what we wanted, we were frantically pointing at anything that first caught our eye in the menu under pressure. To our surprise, the food came within minutes! I admit to being a very slow eater, and was undoubtedly the last one to finish my food. During which, all the plates that my friends used had been cleared, and the waiter once again stood by our table, waiting to clear my plate while I tried as fast as I could to gobble up everything that was left. The food was really good, but I felt that I didn't manage to enjoy it as much as I wished to. 

I was taken aback by how fast paced the lifestyle in Hong Kong was (is probably like that now still). I also came to realise after spending a few more days there, that it was just their way of life; Hong Kong style cafes were meant to serve customers needing a quick dining fix, which explains the almost instantaneous, impersonal service, and possibly the expectation on customers to be quick to order, dine and leave. This also explains why cafeterias in Hong Kong mostly serve, and are famous for, their instant noodles or macaroni with luncheon meat and eggs, which can be cooked almost instantly. 

Having been living in Singapore my whole life, I thought I was used to efficiency and the fast pace of life. But the experience in Hong Kong has brought up the pace by another notch for me, and it was a good experience to have. My friends and I would still laugh at this incident when we reminisce about our Hong Kong trip, and it wouldn't stop us from going back again!

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict (Post #1)

Jo and Sue were the best of friends until a conflict between them caused them to drift apart.

Jo had to borrow a dress from Sue for a wedding reception, in which Sue agreed enthusiastically to and even offered to lend Jo her favourite dress. However, Sue did not mention to Jo about needing this dress for an upcoming ceremony a week after the wedding reception, trusting that Jo would return it to her soon after.

Jo was informed a day after the wedding reception that her grandmother was hospitalised. Jo had been busy since then, having to shuttle herself between school, hospital and home, and had forgotten about returning Sue’s dress.

On the other hand, Sue was not updated about Jo’s predicament, and had thought that Jo was being irresponsible for not returning the dress in time for her ceremony. Sue started feeling resentful towards Jo, and had stopped speaking to her. Jo was puzzled by Sue’s behaviour, and had tried to reconcile with Sue without knowing the reasons for Sue’s sudden change of attitude towards Jo.

The main problem of this conflict is probably due to a communication breakdown between the two friends, leading to differing expectations and thus misunderstanding. Sue might have expected Jo to have more initiative in returning the dress soon after her event. Perhaps Sue did not want to come across as being too pushy to keep asking about the dress. On the contrary, Jo might be too overwhelmed by her family matter to remember about Sue’s dress. Jo might also have taken for granted that Sue was her best friend, and would most probably not mind if she were to return the dress a little later than she should.

In this scenario, I believe both parties are at fault, as Sue did not inform Jo about her need for the dress in a week’s time. Sue should also remind Jo about the dress after the wedding reception, and could perhaps let Jo have a chance of explaining herself before getting angry with her. Conversely, Jo should have explained to Sue about her predicament, and consequently ask if she could return the dress a little later.

How would you have handled this situation if you were Sue?