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.