Final Reflection

Overall, I feel that I’ve learn quite a lot in this module which will be very useful in my life now and in the future. Looking back initially why I took this module was to find a module which I can bid with 1 point. I’m so glad that I took this module instead of some other weird module, which I probably will not gain as much as I would with this one.

I feel that the most useful and important thing I’ve learn in this module is the writing of application letter and resume. It really helps me write a professional application and resume which I alone could not have done it. I’ve used the application letter and resume for a job internship and got an interview. The interviewer said that my application letter and resume was well written, I was very happy about it. However, in the end, I still did not get the internship, which I think it was due to my interview skills was not very good and the competition was tough.

I really like the opportunity to present in the whole class professionally, it kind of give me a chance to present, boost my confident and makes me a better presenter in the future. Even though presenting in front of the whole class still makes me nervous, but I still want to overcome it! The worst times was probably the mock job interview, I really cannot handle questions well, especially the tricky questions, I think I blank out for 2 minutes. I think that if I want to succeed in getting an internship, summer program or a job in the future, I really need to brush up on my interview skills!

Looking back at those 13 weeks, even though sometimes it was really tough, got a lot of assignment and dateline to meet, I still did not regret taking this module. I think sometimes the class was fun and enjoyable, and also all the classmates are really nice! So, right here I want to thank all of you out there for being such a good classmate and thank you Ms Lim for being a great teacher too!

Cheers,

guoren

Reflection on oral presentation

For the oral presentation, I think that I did better than the peer teaching time. This is because I feel that I was more confident in my speaking. I speak slower and louder(I think), try to emphasis on some important words and did not stumble as much as last time. I think that I was more conscious about how I speak this time. It was due to that I had a lot more practice this time, our group even met up on Sunday afternoon to practice the OP. I also practice it before I went to bed that night. I really think that the preparation beforehand is very important. Compared to the peer teaching, where I do not have any practice beforehand, thinking that I will do fine, came out to be a complete disaster. For both OP and peer teaching I was very nervous, but in the peer teaching, I kept stumble and forgot what should I say next, it made me want to go faster to quickly get over it to overcome the embarrassment. Thus the last part of the speech was very fast and I kept laughing. For the OP, even though I was nervous, I was still able to keep myself calm because I knew what I was going to say next as I rehearsal a lot of times and it was in the back of my head. Thus, I just have to tell myself to cool down, don’t speak so fast, speak louder, try to emphasis on the numbers or words and have some pauses and point to the slides if necessary. I think having the cue cards also helps a lot, as when I forgot what I was going to say next, just peaking at the cue card or just read from it makes me less nervous too. I think that being prepared is so important, it gives me confident to stand infront of the whole class to present. Like for today, we’re supposed to say something, I was totally blank, so started saying some random stuff. So overall, I think this OP was the best presentation that I’ve done before.

Oh, i also want to thank Jigna for writing the speech text which really helps alot! Also Jay and Jigna who makes the slides so good looking!

cultural difference

I think that intercultural communication is very important nowadays, due to globalization, we all now have the opportunity to work anywhere in the world. We have to be more aware of other people culture to prevent miscommunication or conflict between which might result in being a public enemy. I have never encounter a cultural conflict before, but I’m going to share about my dad and mum attitude towards other culture.

It happened last year while I was driving my dad and my mum to Musafa to get a new fridge. While I was driving and needed to make a left turn, there was a zebra crossing and there were people waiting for the car to stop in order to cross. So at the 1^st zebra crossing, there was a Chinese lady waiting to cross, so I stopped the car and let her cross. However, during the next zebra crossing, there was a foreign worker probably from Bangladesh waiting to cross too. Shockingly, my father told me to ignore him and just drive across. I was quite shock and angry at him, how could he say such a thing, they are people like us too and I don’t want to knock him over. I did stop before the zebra crossing and let him cross, my father scolded me but I totally ignored him.

I was really puzzled about why my father treated the foreign worker that way, it is not like we are anyone more superior to them and they are just coming to Singapore to get a job. On the other hand, my mother is much better than my father. Whenever we got excess fruits or biscuits, my mum will just pack and give to a foreign worker who cleans our corridor. I think that this is a very nice gesture, she feels that the cleaner is very poor and they don’t mind taking excess food that we cannot finish in the 1^st place.

Well, I think we should be nicer to people around us even though they are from different background and culture, and not like my father being a chauvinist or a racist.

Application Letter

Research Officer/Engineer (Research)

You will conduct both experimental and theoretical research work in chemistry and chemical engineering science under the guidance of senior and experienced research staff in the following areas:

• Pharmaceutical processing
• Drug discovery and natural product synthesis
• Bulk chemicals and polymers
• Energy/ Fuels/ Chemicals from alternative and renewable feedstocks
• Novel processes and materials for specialty products

Requirements:

• A good Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or related disciplines
• Self-motivated and with a passion in R&D
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and under pressure
• Ability to perform as a team player and possess good interpersonal skills
• Fresh graduates are welcome to apply

Blk 1 H Avenue #101-99

Singapore 887101

3 February 2010

Mr. Johnson Tan

Director of Human Resources

1 Pesek Road
Jurong Island
Singapore 627833

Dear Mr. Johnson Tan

Application for Research Officer

I am writing in response to the job advertisement posted on the A*STAR website on 31 January 2010 for the Research Officer position. The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is Singapore’s leading government agency dedicated to foster world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based economy. I believe that my strong passion for research will be of great use to your company.

Being a Chemistry major in National University of Singapore, I always had a strong passion for organic chemistry and inquisitive about how new drugs are synthesised. As the job scope includes Pharmaceutical processing, Drug discovery and natural product synthesis, this falls in my area of interest and expertise. I am sure that I will be a suitable candidate to do the job.

I have been in leadership position both in Junior College and University. I was the Interact Club Community Service Director in Catholic Junior college and NUS Student Science Club Rag Committee member. As an Interact Club Community Service Director, I have to plan and coordinate community service program for my fellow members. As an NUS Student Science Club Rag Committee member, our committee has to build an extensive float for an annual NUS grand event. It requires months of planning and working together as a team in order to accomplish it. The experiences I have gained have enabled me to work independently and also in a group well.

In review of A*STAR objectives and possible openings, I believe that my experience is in perfect line with your current needs. I will be contacting your office next week, but if you have any questions, please call me at 92222222 or email me at ggghhh@hotmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you for reviewing my letter and my enclosed résumé.

Sincerely,

Teo Guo Ren

communication breakdown

I think interpersonal conflicts between people are unavoidable, because we have to interact with people all the time, and sometimes there will be miscommunication. What I’m going to share is something more of a total communication breakdown.

This happens last year during chemistry laboratory session. The experiments are done in pair work and I happened to have a peculiar lab partner, let’s call him Q. At first I thought that he is like any other people, but as I worked with him, I find that he was awfully quiet. I tried to talk to him, but it is like an answer and question session, where I asked the question, he answered. It was a weird and awkward situation.

About half way through the experiment, where we just have to wait for the reaction in the mixture to complete, we can start washing up some apparatus that we do not have to use. Q picked up a conical flask with solution in it and was going to empty the flask and washed it, I quickly spotted that the solution was going to be used later, and I told him, “hey, don’t throw that away, we’re going to use that later!” He nodded. I turned around to take some stuff and when I turned back, the emptied the whole solution in the sink!! I was screaming like “what are you doing! I thought I just told you we’re going to use that later!!” He just looked at me and smile, and he looks like he doesn’t understand a word I’m saying and continue washing the conical flask. I was very angry, I asked him again why he did that, he just looked at me with an innocent face like nothing had happened. That’s where I find him a little bit weird.

Since the solution was down the drain, we have to make new ones. The teaching assistant was very kind and she helped us by telling us short cut method to get the solution we want. While doing that, a lab technician came by and asked us what are we doing, why are we doing this? Q tries to explain but can’t, and when the lab technician asked again, Q gave a super black face and looks like he was going to punch her. I quickly came up and explained to the lab technician, and then everything was ok.

There was a total communication break down between me and Q. When I say something to him, it seems like he understand but he doesn’t. I also find it hard to understand what he’s trying to say too. After that I try finishing the experiment myself, ignoring him to prevent more miscommunication. In addition, found out from my friend during the previous experiment, Q partnered with another guy, and they redo the experiment twice! The guy complained and wanted a new lab partner, apparently, they have the same problem.

It seems that Q has trouble communicating with people around him and not just me. It was very tough working with him, it was the 1^st time I met with such situation, and I totally don’t know what to do, I just do everything myself.

Well, what would you have done if you were to work with some person where you totally cannot communicate with?

Effective communication

I think that effective communication skills are very important to me, it is because we interact and talk to people all the time and we really want people to understand what are we trying to talk about and not misunderstood it. This is especially true as now in university life, where most of the modules require some form of presentation about the project you’ve done. Presentation is not only about the content of your project, but also how you perform during the presentation, like effectively bringing the points across to the audience and engaging them so that they won’t fall asleep. From past experience, usually before a presentation, I get nervous, and during the presentation, I tend to speak very fast and not very clear. Also, there will be a lot of pauses, ermm, ah, ya, and etc, and sometimes I can’t help laughing at myself. I really want to get rid of all these bad habit and speak more confidently and better. I think that effective communication skills are important not only in school but also when we enter the working world, especially in interview, where we have to speak confidently and a leave a good impression to the boss. Hopefully by the end of the course I would able to pick up all the necessary skills to be a confident and good speaker!

1st blog!

Hey hey, this is my 1st blog! yup yup, that's all, see u all soon!