A special dedication post @ Sunday, November 14, 2010

I'd like to thank two special beings in the class, Yan Ling and Vinod.

To Yan Ling:
Thank you for being such an angel, even though we did not verbally elect any group leader for our peer teaching group, in our eyes you already were. I could still remember our HTHT at Munchie Monkeys with Vinod right after our presentation. Not forgetting all those sweet and encouraging texts you sent me whenever I was feeling low. Twelve weeks are enough to make me realise what genuine friendship is all about. I see it through you, in you and with you. Just like a big sister, you really took care of me throughout the entire semester. No words can ever describe my gratitude towards you, but still I have to say THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING. <3


To Vinod: From someone who always tease and laugh at me, I wonder why I am thanking you now. Having said that, I always treated you as my pillar of strength, someone whom I can relate to well enough due to the similarities we have. You are seriously one meanie when it comes to jokes, and you crack me up the easiest with your gift of the gab. In the midst of all the heavy workload during the research project period, you showed your concern for your fellow saint by sending a fairly simple text of concern. I still have an unfinished challenge with you, and we shall continue it after exams! Well, thank you for playing such a vital role in my life during times of trouble.

And where are the 7 plastic cups from McDonalds? HAHA

Up and on saints!
7:37 PM
2 comments
Flames to dust @
Through the courtesy of Brad Blackstone, I have the privilege of learning effective communication in the most interactive manner. He often nags on the importance of clarity and coherence, putting pressure on me to ensure that my writings make sense to others. Whenever I attempt to generalize a particular statement, he will let out an angelic smile and remind me that concreteness is lacking. He is also extremely particular about my spelling, punctuation and grammar correctness, thus I have to conform my text to the conventions of standard written English. Being an enthusiast of concise writing rather than lengthy ones, he emphasizes that completeness should not be compromised in the process.

I attempt to summarize the 7Cs in one short paragraph, probably reinforcing the idea of being concise once again. Education in itself has the sole purpose of equipping one with the necessary skills and knowledge to carve one’s niche in human society. It cannot be narrowly interpreted as the mere academic portion of our education. No doubt that my course (Applied Math) is able to equip me with the relevant knowledge, skills such as effective communication are extremely important as well.

To get the ball rolling, we kick start the module with a peer teaching assignment. Having a pre-allocated group was indeed a brilliant idea as we were being forced to interact with students whom we just met in class. I was rather blessed to have group mates like Guo Chen, Vinod and Yan Ling, who acted as my pillars of strength in the midst of massive workload. From a little girl in my peer teaching group whereby my needs were well taken care of to a team leader of my research project, I had to adapt and shoulder the responsibilities fast enough. As I had mentioned in my previous entry, communication and written skills aside, I managed to pick up the skill of video-editing and worked with the most awesome software called Prezi during my research project.

Most importantly, I got to exercise my writing skills through this online portal. Even though it was an arduous process, from blogging to commenting on my peer's post, this course would not have been completed without it.

Cliché as it may sound, but for some strange reasons I am beginning to miss the class. Brad’s constant teasing, Vinod’s wittiness, Yan Ling’s angelic smile, Alicia’s laughter, Billet’s “I’m a lover not a fighter” shirt… I can never name them all. Twelve weeks had flown by without us even realizing, and only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone for making this whole experience such a memorable one, and the best thing out of all is the friendship forged.

As quoted from Vinod on his Facebook comment, “Got lvl 3000 communication?” I believe that somehow somewhere somewhat, all of us will meet again.

To end off my post, here’s a quote for all of you!

“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”

With lots of love,
Xiaoshi
5:13 PM
10 comments
HOLA! @ Friday, November 5, 2010
To the two groups who will be presenting this coming Monday,

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."

HANG IN THERE! <3
12:27 PM
1 comments
We had come a long way. @
Even though it’s already the 4th day since I ended my oral presentation, disappointment still lingers within me.

Then again, this is part and parcel of life. One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping stone to something better, or even something greater. I have learnt so much out of this entire process of research project, from knowing nuts about proposal-writing, video-editing and probably leading a team of members who are more senior than me, I have come a long way and I can humbly say that I accomplished them all.

Preparation
Three words to describe, simply ‘OH MY GOD’. The time and effort spent were massive.

Talking about the strength of my team in terms of preparation, we were rather fortunate to have common breaks in the midst of other commitments. In addition, as all of us had different soft skills and abilities, we managed to complement and helped out each other in one way or another. The seminar room in science library became our weekly rendezvous after tutorial. We started our project proper by conducting interviews with Prof Lee from Department of Civil Engineering and Prof Hwang from Department of Building during the recess week. After which we began to draft out our proposal in the midst of all the heavy workload and mid term test. Time management became extremely essential.

Inspired by ‘the noose’ on channel 5, I wanted to kick start our oral presentation with a news broadcast. I thought that it would add some creative and surprise elements to our presentation. As the rest of my team members embrace this idea, we went ahead with the street interview, requesting our friends to pose off as interviewees in the video. Not forgetting our dear group mate Wyhow who posed off as Prof Lee as well. Having to dress up formally during school days just for the sake of that few minutes video, I greatly appreciate his enthusiasm and effort.

Towards the last few weeks prior to our actual oral presentation, we stretched our limit by having meetings in school over the weekends. We spent countless hours in tutorials room from Faculty of Science to Faculty of Engineering, trying to synchronize and test out the newly discovered prezi software.

Delivery
My delivery method was meant to be entertaining and refreshing, but it ended up leaving the audiences with tones of question marks. I forgot almost the entire part of my speech, and I would not attempt to give myself any excuses by saying that it was due to nervousness. Forgetting my script could have and should have been avoided at all cost, I had come so far and I seriously did not wish to falter at the very last stage. I had no slides or tools for me to fall back on as my part of the presentation is solely talking-on-air. Overall, I felt as though I barely presented when I had so much more to offer.

Use of slide ware and audiovisuals
The strength of our use of technology could be illustrated by the use of the highly-interactive prezi software and the intensive use of visual aids such as videos etc to facilitate our presentation. We tested out the volume during our regular meetings and it was deemed to be loud enough. However, it became dreadfully soft during our actual run and we had to plug in speakers before continuing our presentation. We could have rectify the audio problem by bringing in our own speakers to amplify the volume.

Conclusion
All in all, I am really glad to be part of this research group. All the hours spent in school preparing for this project were no doubt agonizing, but it was indeed memorable. Not to forget all the ayam penyet we had in science canteen and the mcdonald’s in engine tutorial room, it's the quality time spent that remained so priceless. Here’s a quote for all of you:

"When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place."

Thank you, team Stepup (: xoxo.
11:35 AM
10 comments
Intercultural Marriage @ Sunday, October 3, 2010
While Islam does not forbid intercultural marriages, they can become a source of tension when Non-Muslims party has to convert to Islamic to suit his/her spouse upon marriage. This clearly illustrates a certain degree of biasness and dominance amongst religions. If parental support is there for an intercultural marriage, things will turn out smoother for the couple. Otherwise, there will be hostile opposition on the part of one or both sets of parents, which could translate to endless stream of stress and unhappiness between the newly-wed.

The above scenario happened to one of my eldest sister’s friend some years ago, who decided to tie the knot with his Chinese girlfriend after 6 years of courtship. Let’s name them M and C respectively. Coming from a family with staunch Buddhism background, C was often caught in a dilemma when her family expressed their discontentment regarding M’s cultural background. They knew very well that religion conversion will be inevitable. Likewise, M faced immense resistance as C’s family refused to accept him. Despite facing all the obstacles, their love continued to blossom and finally, M proposed to C.

However, C did not wish to defy her parents or her religion in that matter. The fact that she was unable or unwilling to convert to Islam did not bode well for the relationship either. Rules being rules, it was an undeniable fact that C had to convert to Islamic upon marriage. She had to face the fear of getting disowned completely by her family. Besides, marrying someone from a total different cultural background could be seen as an infidelity.

C must be willing to defy her parents, abandon her cultural upbringing and accept a whole new religion for the rest of her life. As for M, he must be willing to deal with the hostility and threats from C’s family as well as other Muslims.

Love knows no boundaries. Is that really true?
6:34 AM
8 comments
Application Letter for Internship @ Sunday, September 5, 2010
Eden Cube Marketing Group Pte Ltd

A Challenge To Yourself...

Eden Cube Marketing Group is a significant marketing trademark in Southeast Asia with an unrivalled reputation for grooming business executives.

Our organisation believes in engaging a fundamental structure by expanding new opportunities to grow. Our aim is to provide and equip our Executives with specialized skills to help our clients widen their sales revenue and brand awareness with solutions.

Due to fresh acquisitions of new accounts and our commitments to fulfil them, we are seeking:

Internship for Sales & Marketing Students
(Singapore[Map])

During the internship period, you will be exposed to these areas:

Responsibilities:
 Rewarding management opportunities
 Ongoing training and support
 Enthusiastic, passionate and professional work culture
 Overseas exposure (Regional / Global)

Requirements:
Candidate must be currently pursuing at least a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing or equivalent.
20 Internship position(s) for duration of 6 month(s).

Looking for an outstanding career opportunity, where only you set the limit, please email your resume to grace@ecm.com.sg
_______________________________________

Xu Xiaoshi
Blk 549,
Woodlands Drive 44,
#04-90,
Singapore 730549.
xiaoshi_swiss@hotmail.com

4th September 2010

Miss Grace
Kreta Ayer Shop Houses,
9 Mosque Street,
(S)059489

Dear Grace,

With reference to your advertisement posted in Jobstreet, I am writing to express my desire to be attached with your organization for a 6-month internship opportunity.

I am currently pursuing my Bachelor's Degree with Major in Applied Mathematics in the National University of Singapore. Presently, I am in my second year and due to finish my studies in April 2012. As indicated in my enclosed resume, I have been consistently achieving excellent academic results throughout my academic tenure.

My research indicates that your company’s deep involvement in the international trading and marketing leverages a platform for me to be part of a team that drives the company further forward, albeit for a short term. In addition, your company presents an outsourced sales and marketing solutions to a group of high profile trademark industries such as Telecommunications, Banking and Non Profit organisations. I could be of value to the company as Mathematics graduates are much in demand wherever quantitative analysis is needed and when objective, critical analysis is valued.

Additionally, I am also active in rendering service to the community. Back then in my college days, I was the Chairperson for Service Learning 2008. Having to liaise with my teachers, schoolmates and respective people in-charge from various organisations, I am a leader with strong interpersonal, communication and administrative skills, and my aim is to only elevate them to higher degrees.

My full resume underlining my academic credentials, and my working experience is attached together with this application letter for your reference. I am appreciative of your time considering my application, and I look forward to be discussing further about this opportunity with you over an interview. You can reach me at the address stated above or via phone at 90607970.

Thank you.

Yours Sincerely,



Koh Xiaoshi
5:40 PM
6 comments
Interpersonal Conflicts. @ Sunday, August 29, 2010
Money is a double-edged sword. It can either ruin or strengthen friendship. No doubt that there are friendships which can surpass financial woes but I reckon I can count them using my fingers. When trust is lost, it is often marred with disappointment, anger, disgust and disrespect towards the person who does not honor his commitment.

Some years back, there was a social group which I would often go out to restaurants with. There was a girl in the group who would always make some excuses to pay her exact share down to the penny and then leave before the bill came. She was so petrified of having to spend a little extra money if we chose to split the bill, that she preferred to insult us all by leaving early. We were acquaintances to begin with, but soon escalated to be close friends despite being well aware of her bad habit. Putting this flaw of hers aside, she was actually a pretty sincere friend. I thought, or rather I assumed.

Subsequently, whenever we met up for a meal, we would often go on dutch. However, things started to change after a couple of weeks. There were innumerable occasions whereby she would take me to a restaurant and made me foot the bill without offering to pitch in. As I believed that it was foolish to care more about that insubstantial sums of money than friendships, I decided not to pursue the money from her.

Soon enough I realized that I was the one paying for her movies tickets, taxi-rides and even her retail therapy. You may think that I could have avoided doing so, but sometimes I get inadvertently involved when it comes to payment. I felt as though I was trapped in tight corners and the other solution was to say 'yes'.

I began to distant myself away by cooking up excuses not to meet up with her. She became really annoyed and started defaming me in front of others. She even approached and reprimanded me in my face, saying that I ought to do self-reflection for the way I had been treating her. I was speechless. Dear classmates, what do you think I should have done to avoid such an awkward and messy situation?

Money is the root of all evil. How true.
9:17 AM
9 comments
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