Final Reflection

It all come down to this final reflection after all the hard work, laughter and memories. Just 2 weeks ago, I was cursing at how taxing this module is with the workload.It does not even feel like a level 2000 module. However,at the end of it all, looking back, I have learn a couple of things that I would not have learn in other modules. These are skills that I will bring on further in my life.

Here are some :

1) Writing

I got to admit, I started with really horrible writing skills. A sentence that seems alright to me can be full of errors in the eyes of Brad and some of the better writers in the class. However, through the course of blogging, I learn a lot from the comments given by my peers. After sometime, I became more aware of my writings and tried to keep to the 7Cs. I really have to credit my improvement in my writing to my peers particularly my blogging buddies and Brad of course. Thank you all :)

2) Presenting

Through the course, we had countless opportunity to make presentations. My most memorable experience was the impromptu presentation. I did not expect it to be so taxing and the 4hrs of sleep the night before did not help. It is really through that experience that I realized how one can reveal all his flaws when unprepared. I resorted to being candid as I wanted to make myself more relaxed. But Brad was not amused. I can still remember him telling me that in a presentation we cannot be too "Jokey"(did I spell that correctly?) That left me a huge impression. I am now more aware of the different aspect of presenting and how important preparation is to a presentation. This skills that I learn about presenting will be useful to me in future countless presentations that I will be required to do.

3)Interaction

"No man is an island" Interaction is bound to happen everywhere and this module provide lots of it. Being put into different groups all the time to discuss about issues and work on projects, we were given many opportunities to interact with one another. Those were good opportunity to exercise our inter-personal skills. Through the discussion, I learn various ways to bring my points across , while through the projects I learn how to work effectively with others to get things done.

Yan Ling also taught me how patience is essential in interaction. Her patience in resolving conflicts among us is really admirable. Without her patience, we would have waste precious resources in the arguments and often make wrong decisions. I would really like to thank her for it.

This module have been a memorable one with all the new friendship I have forged and all the skills that I have picked up. I would not say that I had a enjoyable time all the time through this course but I am glad I have taken it.

Thank you Brad !

ENG OP Reflection

Finally, after all the moaning and groaning, slogging it out at various corners of YIH and Raffles Hall, late night calls complaining to each other, the research project had ended with the oral presentation ! This post serve as my reflection for the oral presentation.

Preparation
After we got back our proposal, we were quite disheartened to see so much markings. Naturally we felt that it was not a good sign. Upon further reading, we felt that we did not bring across a lot of the points in the proposal very well. Therefore, we had a consent that we have to make it right this time during the oral presentation.

Meeting up was not easy. Everyone had their own busy schedules and projects to work on, as a result, we did not have a full rehearsal until three days before the actual presentation. However, I felt that the slides had to be done early for us to have a clear outline of our presentation. Hence, we came out with the slides and assigned our parts prior to our meet up for rehearsal. When we finally met up for the rehearsal, I was really happy to see that all my team member put in great efforts for their parts. Despite the efforts, many of us still had problems with our delivery as we were not confident of the presentation. It was only until the second rehearsal that Billet suggested the interview method of presentation. I was to be honest skeptical about it at first but decided to give it a try.

Delivery
We decided to change the setting of the classroom to suit our style of presentation. I guess little touches like the my mother's flowers and the table cloth really paid off.

Everyone did a great job in presenting their parts when they are "called" for. Having Billet as the "interviewer", gave us the confidence as we felt less intimidated by answering the question and having a continuous connection to someone we are familiar with. We were also cautious to connect to the audience as well. ( that's why we had the eye contact practice billet was doing before the presentation) The questions also help break down our presentation into more sizable portions for us to present and for the audience to digest.

For my own part, my mind was really a complete blank when I stood up. But, being full of the topic after having sleepless night thinking of the solutions and proposals, I managed to let it just flow out of me. But having said that, I personally felt that I lacked the engagement with the audience. I also made too much effort to pause and moderate my speed of speech. I am not sure if that came across too obvious. (I hope not )

Audiovisuals
Firstly, I also felt that the video was a bit too long. But it did served its purpose of bringing across the idea and emotions. Our presentation slides was clean, clear and simple which did not leave any impression. In a certain way, it was great as it enable the audience to pay more attention to us. Having seen the first 2 groups presenting with Prezi, we did not like the idea as we feel that all the animations and visuals is going to distract the audience, in Nan Hai's words, made us very dizzy.

Overall, I think my team really did a great job. I would like to thank all of them for the effort put in. Given all the stress and constrains, you all proved to me that impossible is nothing :)

Intercultural Behavior

Something that struck me about intercultural behavior was the habit of wearing shoes into the house. When I was young, I was taught to take off my shoes when entering a house, be it my own or the others. I have taken it to be the correct thing to do since young.

However, an experience in my teenage years made me realized this intercultural behavior. I was invited to this American family house for house warming. When I reached the doorstep, I had this natural reaction to bend down and take off my shoes. But, I quickly realized that everyone was walking in with their shoes on. At that point in time, I was taken aback but decide to go with the flow and wear my shoes in as well. Inside, everyone else including the host was wearing their everyday shoes and walking around.

This was unusual for me coming from a Asian family where taking off shoes before entering a home was a norm. I was wondering why they don't take off their shoes when entering the house. They are just bringing in dirt on their shoes into the house.Other than it being a bit troublesome to take off your shoes when entering the house, I feel that it is a sign of respect for the hosts as they would not have to clear the dirt left behind by your shoes.

Then I asked the host about why they wear shoes around their house. They told me that it is the cultural back in their country. Their rationale was that they are not sure whether the floor is dirty in the first place and they would not want to dirty their feet. They would only take them off when they go to bed or into the shower.

Personally, I feel that they were a bit selfish but then again this is their culture. I guess it would be wise to check out first the cultural behavior of the people you are meeting first to avoid any possible conflicts. I was lucky that this intercultural behavior difference was to my convenience ;)

End of the Tunnel

Wats at the end of the tunnel? The only way to find out is to walk through it.

Alicia in Discussion

Xing Quan's Ticket to DSTA(Edited)

Title:
Internship at DSTA( Defence Science Technology Agency)

About:
DSTA offers exciting internship opportunities, giving you insights into the thrilling world of defence science & technology. Revel in the experience of working with leading-edge technologies and get to meet the people who are charged with putting all their skills, knowledge and ingenuity to the service and security of our country. Discover how DSTA can set you off on a promising career where you will gain Respect, Recognition and Relevance.

Job Scope:
As an intern, you will undertake project assignments under the guidance and supervision of our engineers and IT professionals in the following areas within DSTA and the Service Logistics Departments of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF):

• Systems Engineering
  You will acquire, develop, integrate and upgrade sophisticated defence systems in technology areas from aeronautical, naval, land, armament, guided to sensor systems.

• Information Technology
  You will harness cutting-edge technologies for command, control, communications and computer systems. You will also develop solutions in e-commerce, IT consulting, business strategy, network operations, applications development, database design and development.

• Construction
  You will be challenged to develop innovative and effective solutions for our nation's unique defence infrastructure. You will also explore the latest developments in protective technology to enhance the survival of our defence facilities.

• Engineering Support
  You will design and develop reliability assurance programmes to ensure optimal systems readiness and sustainability. There will be hands-on exposure to the advanced weapon systems of the SAF and a choice of working on aeronautical, land or naval systems.

Source: http://www.dsta.gov.sg/index.php/441-DSTA-Internship-Programme/
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31 August 2010

To whom it may concern,

Application for Internship at DSTA

I am writing in to apply for an Internship at DSTA. I am now currently a year 2 Engineering Student, pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering with Major in Electrical Engineering degree at the National University of Singapore.

I have always been interested in the field of Engineering and Science as evident from my involvement in the Robotics Club back in my secondary school days. Being exposed to science and technology, I am comfortable with working with new technologies and I am definite that I can contribute towards how it can be applied in our world to make life better for us.

My National Service was one that was both unusual and enriching. I was posted to an administrative vocation at SAF Basic Military Training Centre as a personal assistant to Commander BMTC. My job required me to deal with the numerous personnel serving under the commander. This had enabled me to exercise my interpersonal skills regularly.

Throughout the course of my National Service, I have rubbed shoulders with Engineers from DSTA and read numerous papers on the innovations by these Engineers. It left on me a strong impact of how important their roles are to the security of the nation which spurred me on to work in the area of national defense.

While pursuing my degree, I took time off to participate actively in co-curriculum activities. They not only enriched my university life but also imparted to me life skills that can neither be coached by books or preached by teachers . I also took up leadership positions such as vice-president of The Photographic Society of NUS as a self challenge to manage an organization as well as to hone my management skills which will be useful in the future. Hence, I am confident with leading a group of people in working on projects.

DSTA has been doing very well in research in areas involving defence science and I want to be part of it. I will be able to learn many useful skills and harness my fundamental knowledge as an intern with DSTA. These skills and knowledge will be useful for my future careers in the field of engineering.

With my strong interest in technology and my passion for greater challenges, I believe that I am a suitable candidate for this position. I have enclosed a copy of my resume with additional information about my qualifications. I would be available for Internship from May 2011 to July 2011.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Hope to hear from you soon.

Yours Sincerely,

How Xing Quan

Happy Teacher's Day

Happy Teacher's Day !

Really Think :)

Really thinks, I hope we do that every time we write a blog post :)

(In case you wonder, the photo is taken by me)

Interpersonal Conflict

The interpersonal conflict that I am going to write about happened just a couple of minutes ago between me and my girlfriend. I was on my way back after a shag day with work piling up waiting for me to do when I get back home. I then decided to call up my girlfriend on the journey back. However, she did not pick up my calls. After a few minutes, she messaged me back to say that she was in the shower and to give her 5 minutes and she will call me back. She indeed call me about 5 minutes later. However, after a few seconds, I heard a commotion over the phone and it turned out that it was her sister trying to talk to her. My girlfriend asked her to go away and returned to the call.My reaction was to tell her that if she have something important, she can go do it first. That had pissed her off and after a short while we hang up the phone.

I was naturally as unhappy as she was but was wondering what had pissed her off and this was not the first time. My rationale was for her to finish up the important stuff first before being able to relax and talk to me undisturbed. My guess was that on her part, she values the calls that we have and I have assumed that there was something more important than the call.

This interpersonal conflict had got me thinking about how effective communication through mediums such as phone can be. I have always valued a face to face talk.

Things are Starting to Boil

Blogging was not my habit but I am trying to cultivate the habit now since I know I will have an audience and this could really improve my writing.

About what Mr Blackstone(Is it okay if I address you as such?)  said yesterday about things are starting to boil, I really agree with him. School work that is piling,CCA meetings to attend, blog posts to write and comment. Its starting to get real busy. Just yesterday, I did not have a rest time from 830 in the morning all the way till 8pm at night when I was in a taxi rushing for another meeting because I was already late. I wondered how did I even manage to survive through the day. I could have survived on the adrenaline rush or it might just be the cups of coffee that I have drank. Despite all the madness, I really enjoyed the day and I think this could be good training for my future in the working world.

However, amongst all this madness, I really hope that I do not neglect a lot of stuff like my school work, my relationship and my family. At the end of the day, these are the things that matters to me the most. I do not want to have gone through so much and look back realizing I have lost all these things.

That is why I really think its a good idea to reflect frequently and writing blog posts is a good way to start. And since I got another crazy day ahead of me, I am writing this post on the journey to school from Pasir Ris: )

Why Effective Communication Skills are Important for me

Before I continue blogging, I have a confession to make. I am not very good with my language and hence you might find some grammar mistakes.I will try my best to improve my language for your reading pleasure and most importantly myself. Please inform me by commenting and help me in improving my language. Or if you are shy, you can just tell me secretly :)

During my NS days, I was fortunate enough to be posted for admin duties, serving under a high-ranking officer as his personal assistant. I know many would tell me that I had a slacker vocation but I feel that I have learned many more useful skills while serving under admin than those who had to sweat it out firing the big guns. The most important lesson I learn was the importance of effective communication.

As a personal assistant, my job was to assist the commander in his daily works but most importantly, ensuring that his messages were passed down correctly to the ground. At the start, I was unsure of how to carry out my duties. The other higher ranking officers in the camp looks daunting and I was hesitant in approaching them to get things done. This resulted in low efficiency in my job and it was largely due to the fact that I was not proficient in many communication skills.It was then that I learn the importance of effective communication skills in a working such as mine.

I began to observe how those who are able to get the job done more effectively and I realized that many of them talk to different people in different ways. Even if they are the same kind of message that needs to be passed down, the way in which the message is put across is different for it to be more effective.

For example, if I would to ask a Sergent to get things done, I would just Email him formally and tell him exactly what needs to be done. He would get the message that the task is important and he will need to to get it done well. However, if I would to approach a high ranking officer, I would be a bit more friendly and suggest to him that if he would have done things in a certain way, it would have better effects and it would look better on him. He would feel good about himself and be more willing to do what he is told to do.

Employing different channels of communication, I manage to effectively communicate with the other parties whom I need to get the job done. I believe that this also applies to my everyday life. The different channels of communication will also need different set of communication skills to be effective and hence these effective communication skills are important for me.

My First Post

Hi all,
This is my first post made after class. I don't have much to talk about at this moment but I am just going to remind everyone about the things that need to be done(which will act as a reminder for myself as well) :

1) Set up your Blog.
2) Make your first post on why Communication Skills is important to us.
3) Go comment on the lecturer's posts on his blog.
4) Lastly take note that the venue for next week's lesson and forevermore have been changed to
S9A-01-03.

That is all for now. Got to go think about the stuff I want to write for my first post. See ya :)