Final Reflection

The past 13 weeks have been a rollercoaster of sorts with regards to the module, ES2007s. I've come to develop a love-hate relationship with it. At the end of it all, I've come out thoroughly satisfied with the module as a whole.

I came into this module a dilemma of sorts. On the one hand I was quite thrilled with the propsect of entering a module that taught you about resumes, job application letters and presentation skills. On the opposite side of it, I was forewarned about the intense workload by course mates who had taken the module in previous semesters.

Irregardless of the initial fears, I came into the first session with an open mind, and never looked back. Of course this was helped immensely by friendly and open course mates along with a constantly smiling lecturer.

There were certain things that I was grateful to have graduated the course with. First, the presentation skills were highly emphasized and taught with great endeavour. Moreover, it was always accompanied by a plethora of helpful feedback. This proved extremely useful on Nov 4th, when I delivered a speech on behalf of the NUS Aquathlon team for the NUS Sports Awards.

Next, I came out with a much deeper understanding about the finer points of resume writing , job application letters, and job interviews. These are skills I believe will aid my greatly in the not so distant future.

Lastly, I was glad to have worked with a fantastic class of people. Special thanks of course to Sheryl and Yuan Ru for a fantastic second half of semester working on our proposal and presentation. As with all things, there comes a time when you have to say goodbye. Thank you all for this journey!

Reflection On Oral Presentation

The oral presentation on Friday was the final assignment in what has been a very intense semester. The relief is tangible and it feels like the weight of the world is off my shoulders. However, before I continue on with this self-assessment, I think it would be appropriate to give due credit to my team mates on this presentation, Yuan Ru and Sheryl, who in my opinion, had to tackle the harder portions of our group's oral presentation and did extremely well. Kudos to the both of you and thank you for journeying with me through this module.

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Over the course of the week leading up to Friday's presentation, I had written up a speech I decided to use for the oral presentation. While the intention was not to memorise it, I was keen to make mental notes of the exact order of information I was to present, as well as the main points I was to highlight in my segment. Given that our group's presentation employed an extremely minimalist slide layout, I had to be very sure of the content. On Thursday night I rehearsed my portion a countless number of times, and at the same time edited words that I tended to stumble over or mispronounce with something simpler. After an unexpectedly long Thursday night, I still could not deliver a satisfactory presentation to my wall. However, I was keen to get enough rest for the big day so I went to sleep, albeit with a heavy heart.

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At 11am on Friday morning, the three of us met up for a final rehearsal before heading off to class. Standing infront of the class, I mentally reassured myself a final time, got the go-ahead signal from Brad and proceeded. The introduction went relatively smooth and the tension I was feeling from before started to ease up. However, the outline slide proved to be something of a challenge. I had to refer back to the screen to ensure the full content of the slide was being projected. I had not intended to refer back initially but I guess that "kiasu" syndrome that Signaporeans are so famous for got the better of me. On hindsight, that was probably a blessing in disguise as I may have missed displaying the full content had I not referred back such was my unfamiliarity with the remote.

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The next portion of the presentation required me to give a brief on the sources of data our group utilised for the project and it was at that point I started to get very tense and I was gripping the remote tightly, desperately trying to ensure my thoughts and speech were in accordance. I felt I rushed that portion a little. The final portion of my introduction was to deliver background information of SMS services to the audience. That went surprisingly smooth considering it was the portion I stumbled over the most during my self rehearsals. I was immensely relieved to hand over the time to Yuan Ru.

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My next involvement saw me make a blunder. Instead of throwing the tennis ball back to Sheryl, I had accidentally returned the ball to Yuan Ru who was unprepared for my action and the ball dropped to the floor. My heart sank, I felt the effect of this "creative" segment of our presentation was dampened by my mistake. I returned for the conclusion and I reemphasized our take home points. Unfortunately my train of thoughts was jumbled from the previous mistake and the final delivery of the conclusion was somewhat disjointed in my opinion.

The question and answer session went relatively smooth. I was glad the three of us were familiar with our project content such that we managed to answer the questions being directed towards us.

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In all, I think my voice projection was loud and clear during the delivery of my segments. Save for the conclusion, I think my portion was delivered relatively smoothly. With regards to eye contact, I made an effort to engage the entire audience. I should work on my body language and hand gestures during my next presentation however. I felt that I was stiff throughout most of the presentation (due to nervousness) as well as constantly gripping the remote control very tight whilst speaking. If you guys have realised any other flaws during the presentation, please inform so I can work on it. Feedback will be very much appreciated.

Intercultural Communication

My experience with an intercultural conflict took place while I was holidaying in France a year back. While no altercations manifested, it left me with a lingering sense of provacation and embarrasment.

It was a fine day in a quaint little town in Normandy. Noon was fast approaching and my friends and I decided to stop at a men's wear boutique before breaking for lunch. We were unaware that the shop was already cleared of all customers. There was a sense of impatience that marked the demeanor of the sales representative, but we gave it little thought. Shortly after, the sales representative came up to us and told us to leave the shop so he could close for lunch. There was a long period of silence that ensued as we were stunned by such an exclamation. Feeling mightily insulted, we left the shop, bitter. However, it soon dawned upon us that most of the shops along the same street had closed for lunch as well. We enquired with a local regarding the situation and were informed it was actually a daily practice for stores to close for lunch.

Our anger and irritation were misplaced. In Singapore, we hardly ever came across the sign "closed for lunch". We took that expectation along with us to France and most probably had irked the sales representative in the process. The later parts of the trip were marked with similar occurrences. Even in a big department store like Galeries Lafayette, we realised staff tended to leave their outlets during lunch. After the incident, we were made more aware of the distinct cultures that mark our separate national identities.

Personal Statement

My grandmother has been the biggest influence in my life thus far. Having lived through the Japanese Occupation and subsequently working through a multitude of blue collar jobs in post-war Singapore, she is to me, the epitome of hard-work and perseverance.

She had laboured through the tedious monotony of factory work initially, followed by many strenuous spells as a cleaner. The role of a breadwinner aside, household chores and cooking were also burdened upon her. To say her life was tough would be a severe understatement, yet she persevered on, without complaints. Upon retirement, she took up to the job of raising my siblings and me. The values she has imparted to me, have become the foundation of my work ethic.

I came home one day in Secondary 3, despondent over grades. In addition to that, i was tiding through a poor season in my sport due to injuries. I openly declared my desire to give up and quit. While i was yearning for some affection, my grandmother shot me down with a revelation, "Why so little resilience in the face of hardship?" In that moment, I realised I understood hard work superficially and mised the importance of resiliance.

Since then, these values have been the pillars of my life. Be it in sports, work, or studies, I always keep myself firmly grounded and constantly strive to improve. I intend to do the same in my career as a sports specialist, approaching it whole heartedly and with an unshakable attitude. Despite difficulties I may face on the job, I believe that the combination of my resilience, expertise as well as passion for the job will allow me to undertake it effectively.

Job Application Letter

Block 38 Dover Road
#12-273
Singapore 130038

3rd September 2009

Ms Teh Loo Lim
Human Resource Manager
Global Active Limited
9 Ubi Crescent
Singapore 408572

Dear Ms Teh,

Sports Specialist, Job Reference No. JDBS144175601

I am writing in response to the position of Sports Specialist advertised on JobsDB.com on the 2nd September 2009, under the above mentioned reference number. The position on offer is very enticing and I believe I possess the appropriate qualifications and experience required for the job.

With reference to your stated job requirement of having a passion for sports, I feel I am a suitable candidate. I am an avid triathlete and regularly compete in both local and regional triathlons. In addition to that, I am a keen participant in other endurance related sports such as marathons, duathlons, aquathlons. I also have a fair amount of experience in team sports with prior involvement in hockey, floor-ball and football during my secondary school and junior college days.

In accordance with the job requirements of giving talks, I am equally adept. As stated in my resume, I have captained 3 different teams in track, hockey and aquathlon. Therefore, I am used to speaking in front of an audience and will have little problems giving talks on a subject matter I am familiar with. I believe the people skills that I have developed serving under the different executive committees will prove to be an asset for the company in this aspect of the job requirement.

I currently work in Passione Bicycles, an outlet specialising in road and triathlon bicycles. In managing the accounts of the shop and conducting sales, I have learnt the fundamentals required in sales. My involvement in sports has also taught me how to effectively manage people and relationships within a group, both of which will prove useful under the job requirement of sales. I am a team player, and I am very willing to learn the finer aspects of sales, be it from my colleagues or from experiences amassed on the job.

I will be graduating from the National University of Singapore in May 2010, with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Life Sciences, specialising in Biomedical Sciences. The modules I have taken in university, including Metabolism, Cardiology and Physiology has given me a clear understanding of sports physiology. I believe it will be relevant and useful when conducting talks on sports nutrition and supplements. Furthermore, having trained under various coaches, I have a clear grasp of training methodology which I can advise potential customers on as a bonus. I am keen to apply these skills in a career setting such as that of a Sports Specialist, offered by Global Active Limited.

Currently, the sports nutrition scene is dominated by an oligopoly of companies including First Endurance, Powerbar and 3nergy. With Global Active Limited currently seeking to enter the fray, I believe that I have a lot to offer the company. With that I enclose my resume and hope that you look affirmatively upon my application. I hope to be considered for an interview and I look forward to your reply.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my application.

Yours sincerely,


Aldrich Koh
Enclosed: Resume

*Please refer to previous post for job advertisment*

Job Advertisment: Sports Specialist

This is the job advertisment i am applying to:

SPORTS SPECIALIST:
The successful candidate will develop and grow the sales of our sports nutrition business via public talks and association with the sports fraternity in Singapore and identifying activities and sponsorship opportunities.

A passion in sports, giving talks and doing sales is required, with strong spoken and written English. Experience in this line will be a great advantage.

We offer a very attractive remuneration package which includes commissions and performance bonuses to the successful candidates.

Interested candidates, please submit a detailed resume in MS word format stating your current, expected salary and notice period. to : HR_GAL@global-active.com.sg

http://www.jobsdb.com.sg/SG/EN/Job.asp?R=JDBS144175601

Let's Digress

As I was browsing through old entries in my private blog, i came across this:

"I find it hard to talk about myself. I'm always tripped up by the eternal who-am-i paradox. Sure, no one knows as much pure data about me as me. But when i talk about myself, all sorts of other factors, values, standards, my own limitations as an observer, make me, the narator select and eliminate things about me, the naratee. I've always been disturbed by the fact i'm not painting a very objective picture of myself...The more i think about it, the more i want to take a rain check on the topic of me. What i'd like to know more is about the objective reality of things outside myself. How important the world outside is to me, how i maintain a sense of equilibrium by coming to terms with it. Thats how i grasp a clearer sense of who i am." Haruki Murakami - Sputnik Sweetheart

I'm a huge Murakami fan, so i thought i'd share this excerpt. The passage struck me as very apt after all the ES2007s lessons i've attended to date.

Sometimes, I really wonder, just how honest we are with ourselves.