Happy birthday Brad!!!! (:
Just a short post to let you know that you've been one of the most dedicated and awesome professor I've met, and I miss you!
It's been almost a year since I last attended your lessons, and I've only bumped into you once or twice in school after the semester. But I've been diligently reliving your lessons occasionally, because I really enjoyed every moment inside that freezing classroom. Thank you so much for everything!
Your babies are really adorable too with their bright, happy smiles, and I hope the little princess will get well and strong soon! I'm really glad to see you've received your best birthday present (: Stay strong! May God bless you and your family. Please take care!!
P.S. We still haven't had our lunch date with Shiying hahaha!
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Monday, November 12, 2012
Last Words?
Indescribable.
Isn't it always such an overwhelming feeling whenever you're nearing the end of something?
In retrospect, how much have I exactly been present in the classes? I could have been there physically, but was I really there? I can't help but feel this way, always. I was looking back at my previous posts, and I recalled all the assignments we had to do, the discussions and activities we had in class and of course, those rare times the class managed to share beyond lesson hours.
Sadly, they were all but blur images initially. Twelve weeks breezed by and it amazes me how much we have actually accomplished over time. But as I calmed down eventually, they became clearer and more vivid.
I'm most impressed with the idea of blogging for this module. Even though blogging is basically just all about writing without writing, but writing formally and professionally has always been a huge challenge for me. Whenever there was a blog post due, like now, the thing I'd fret about the most was stringing my casual thoughts into serious words that made sense, and thoughtful sentences that were coherent.
The first few posts were really difficult for me as I was at a loss as to how I can sound professional. I wanted to be taken seriously for once. My posts were always published with so much apprehension. I still recall vividly how mind-blown I felt the very first time I read Laura's and Han's posts. I told myself, "These people can write. Do something about yourself, Huiyun. Write something decent."
Along the way, I picked up constructive comments that helped me grow. I wouldn't say I've changed my writing style, but I've certainly tried to incorporate whatever feedback I've received to mould my style into one that could finally suffice in justifying my incoherent thoughts. Reading others' blog posts have also proven to be helpful, as I observed the different writing styles and how they can be applied in different situations and contexts. I'm not sure if my writing has improved at all, but I certainly do hope they sound more coherent than before!
Having a blogging group was also fresh. It motivated me to write because I knew there would be at least someone who would be reading my posts, even if you may argue that it was simply out of pure obligation. And my mates would also send me gentle reminders to update when my blog became too stale nearing the deadline. All I can say is, that really helped me a lot so thanks guys!
Lastly, I'd also like to take this chance to tell all of my classmates: Even though I haven't commented on each and every of your posts, but I've read through every single word and it's been a real pleasure getting to know another side of you through your very own words. Thank you all for making my Tuesdays and Fridays so much more bearable!
And to Brad: I'm so grateful I didn't get outbid for this class, thank you for showing me that learning how to communicate can also be this versatile, and enjoyable! The liveliness of your teaching style has left me much to reflect on, and I'm looking forward to the day I can finally be a professional communicator like you!
It has been a rewarding and fulfilling learning experience for me, albeit fraught with the endless exhausting deadlines. As much as I'm dreading the arrival of this coming Friday, I hope the friendships forged throughout these past few months will be able to last beyond The World Without Walls!
And of course, may these not be my last words, yet.
Isn't it always such an overwhelming feeling whenever you're nearing the end of something?
In retrospect, how much have I exactly been present in the classes? I could have been there physically, but was I really there? I can't help but feel this way, always. I was looking back at my previous posts, and I recalled all the assignments we had to do, the discussions and activities we had in class and of course, those rare times the class managed to share beyond lesson hours.
Sadly, they were all but blur images initially. Twelve weeks breezed by and it amazes me how much we have actually accomplished over time. But as I calmed down eventually, they became clearer and more vivid.
I'm most impressed with the idea of blogging for this module. Even though blogging is basically just all about writing without writing, but writing formally and professionally has always been a huge challenge for me. Whenever there was a blog post due, like now, the thing I'd fret about the most was stringing my casual thoughts into serious words that made sense, and thoughtful sentences that were coherent.
The first few posts were really difficult for me as I was at a loss as to how I can sound professional. I wanted to be taken seriously for once. My posts were always published with so much apprehension. I still recall vividly how mind-blown I felt the very first time I read Laura's and Han's posts. I told myself, "These people can write. Do something about yourself, Huiyun. Write something decent."
Along the way, I picked up constructive comments that helped me grow. I wouldn't say I've changed my writing style, but I've certainly tried to incorporate whatever feedback I've received to mould my style into one that could finally suffice in justifying my incoherent thoughts. Reading others' blog posts have also proven to be helpful, as I observed the different writing styles and how they can be applied in different situations and contexts. I'm not sure if my writing has improved at all, but I certainly do hope they sound more coherent than before!
Having a blogging group was also fresh. It motivated me to write because I knew there would be at least someone who would be reading my posts, even if you may argue that it was simply out of pure obligation. And my mates would also send me gentle reminders to update when my blog became too stale nearing the deadline. All I can say is, that really helped me a lot so thanks guys!
Lastly, I'd also like to take this chance to tell all of my classmates: Even though I haven't commented on each and every of your posts, but I've read through every single word and it's been a real pleasure getting to know another side of you through your very own words. Thank you all for making my Tuesdays and Fridays so much more bearable!
And to Brad: I'm so grateful I didn't get outbid for this class, thank you for showing me that learning how to communicate can also be this versatile, and enjoyable! The liveliness of your teaching style has left me much to reflect on, and I'm looking forward to the day I can finally be a professional communicator like you!
It has been a rewarding and fulfilling learning experience for me, albeit fraught with the endless exhausting deadlines. As much as I'm dreading the arrival of this coming Friday, I hope the friendships forged throughout these past few months will be able to last beyond The World Without Walls!
And of course, may these not be my last words, yet.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
The Engineers' Oral Presentation.
"We did it. We survived!"
That was the first thought that came to my mind after our oral presentation was officially over. It may sound trivial to some, but considering that the presentation was due in less than a week, an internal dispute was certainly worrying for all of us. Long story short, the dispute stemmed from communication breakdown. Nonetheless, it could actually have been a blessing in disguise. We not only overcame the differences, but also gained a better understanding of one another. This undoubtedly helped pave a smoother path of communication among the group after that.
I cannot deny how relieved and overwhelmed I felt when it was over. It was quite surreal for me, because it seemed like just yesterday that we decided to pursue the overcrowding problem for our proposal. Since all four of us were from Engineering, handling the content came off much easier, as the subject matter was not too much of a stranger to us.
Also, I felt that the mock oral presentation was a really good idea. I got a better sense of how my part can be fitted into the whole presentation. Before that, I was lacking all the "links" but thankfully, we had the run-through and received constructive feedback from Brad and Ronald's team on how to improve the structure, flow and organisation of our presentation. I personally thought the overlapping parts were more or less minimised during our final show, after we went back and rearranged it into a more logical flow.
As I was looking back at the video of our presentation, I couldn't help but cringe at my performance. My pace is clearly still a major flaw. I was staring at myself rattling off and I was thinking to myself, "Are you sure the video hasn't been tampered with?" Shiying actually told me about this after the presentation but I didn't know it was THAT fast. This is actually quite surprising for me, because I was feeling very sleepy during the presentation. While my other group members were presenting, I started feeling drowsy and lost balance halfway through my part and almost tripped on my own foot. This definitely distracted the audience and I slipped a subconscious "Sorry" that was caught by Sai and Sumea, who noted it down in the feedback for us.
Despite having a few rounds of rehearsal before this, I realised my choppy delivery was still very much peppered with awkward pauses, "Ahh", "Ummm" and "And". It was actually very uncomfortable listening to myself speak. I felt I knew what I had to say, but the pause fillers still flowed out so freely. My team members were always telling me to not "present from a script in my head" and if I miss out any point, I should just move on to the next one. Likewise, one of the main feedback I got from the mock presentation was to work on my "infamous" long pause, something that also happened during my peer teaching. So I am pretty happy to say that I managed to improve slightly, because my long pause didn't seem as long this time round!
On a side note, I am really very grateful to Shiying and Yongsheng for their reassuring responses throughout my entire presentation! It made me feel like I was engaging them and that actually boosted a teeny bit of confidence in me.
When it came to our visual cues, we had to maintain a dark surrounding for our slides to have its intended effect, so I hope that did not affect the audience much. I was actually very tempted to chuck away the slides after the attempt during mock presentation, but I realised the nature of our proposal did not allow us to try that stunt, nor did it encourage the use of Prezi. And so, PowerPoint took the stage once again. After receiving Rohit's feedback on the colour scheme, I am hoping the overall product did not turn out too incoherent after all.
Although my presentation skills are still far from ideal, I've had the time of my life learning through this entire process. It broke down my stage fright into the various specific aspects that I will need to work on for a smoother delivery in future.
And of course, I would like to say a big thank you to Chandra, Thao and Eric for making this team special in their own ways! Amidst all the fun, sweat and tears of effort, I hope we actually picked up more than just mere presentation skills!
That was the first thought that came to my mind after our oral presentation was officially over. It may sound trivial to some, but considering that the presentation was due in less than a week, an internal dispute was certainly worrying for all of us. Long story short, the dispute stemmed from communication breakdown. Nonetheless, it could actually have been a blessing in disguise. We not only overcame the differences, but also gained a better understanding of one another. This undoubtedly helped pave a smoother path of communication among the group after that.
I cannot deny how relieved and overwhelmed I felt when it was over. It was quite surreal for me, because it seemed like just yesterday that we decided to pursue the overcrowding problem for our proposal. Since all four of us were from Engineering, handling the content came off much easier, as the subject matter was not too much of a stranger to us.
Also, I felt that the mock oral presentation was a really good idea. I got a better sense of how my part can be fitted into the whole presentation. Before that, I was lacking all the "links" but thankfully, we had the run-through and received constructive feedback from Brad and Ronald's team on how to improve the structure, flow and organisation of our presentation. I personally thought the overlapping parts were more or less minimised during our final show, after we went back and rearranged it into a more logical flow.
As I was looking back at the video of our presentation, I couldn't help but cringe at my performance. My pace is clearly still a major flaw. I was staring at myself rattling off and I was thinking to myself, "Are you sure the video hasn't been tampered with?" Shiying actually told me about this after the presentation but I didn't know it was THAT fast. This is actually quite surprising for me, because I was feeling very sleepy during the presentation. While my other group members were presenting, I started feeling drowsy and lost balance halfway through my part and almost tripped on my own foot. This definitely distracted the audience and I slipped a subconscious "Sorry" that was caught by Sai and Sumea, who noted it down in the feedback for us.
Despite having a few rounds of rehearsal before this, I realised my choppy delivery was still very much peppered with awkward pauses, "Ahh", "Ummm" and "And". It was actually very uncomfortable listening to myself speak. I felt I knew what I had to say, but the pause fillers still flowed out so freely. My team members were always telling me to not "present from a script in my head" and if I miss out any point, I should just move on to the next one. Likewise, one of the main feedback I got from the mock presentation was to work on my "infamous" long pause, something that also happened during my peer teaching. So I am pretty happy to say that I managed to improve slightly, because my long pause didn't seem as long this time round!
On a side note, I am really very grateful to Shiying and Yongsheng for their reassuring responses throughout my entire presentation! It made me feel like I was engaging them and that actually boosted a teeny bit of confidence in me.
When it came to our visual cues, we had to maintain a dark surrounding for our slides to have its intended effect, so I hope that did not affect the audience much. I was actually very tempted to chuck away the slides after the attempt during mock presentation, but I realised the nature of our proposal did not allow us to try that stunt, nor did it encourage the use of Prezi. And so, PowerPoint took the stage once again. After receiving Rohit's feedback on the colour scheme, I am hoping the overall product did not turn out too incoherent after all.
Although my presentation skills are still far from ideal, I've had the time of my life learning through this entire process. It broke down my stage fright into the various specific aspects that I will need to work on for a smoother delivery in future.
And of course, I would like to say a big thank you to Chandra, Thao and Eric for making this team special in their own ways! Amidst all the fun, sweat and tears of effort, I hope we actually picked up more than just mere presentation skills!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Salangai.
This is probably a good chance to share my experience and at the same time, clarify my doubts too!
Salangai is basically ankle bells. They are worn in traditional performances of classical Indian dance. As the name suggests, we wear it on our ankles, like how it's shown in the photo above. I first came to know of this interesting accessory in Indian Dance when I was asked to get it for our competition.
During my batch, the Chinese students surprisingly dominated a large portion of the entire group of dancers. And because it was a virgin experience for most of us, we weren't aware of its cultural significance. We were training with the salangai for the first time and many of us were already fascinated by our new toy. We strapped them onto our ankles instantly and started running about like kids having fun in the playground.
Usually, only water breaks were allowed during the first 2 hours of our training. So when the time for output finally arrived, most of us were just dying to get to that little cubicle within the shortest time possible. And some of us did.
However, we only knew we missed a step after we got back. Our instructor was pretty strict about such customs so our Indian friends gathered us in one corner and quietly told us that we were not supposed to wear the salangai into the toilet, nor along with any footwear. It was considered disrespectful if we did so.
All of us were truly shocked and felt bad at the same time for showing disrespect unintentionally and unknowingly. But we also knew better than to make it known to our instructor.
Still, it was an important and interesting discovery. We made a point to brief our following batch of juniors about such essential details and it was fortunate that history didn't repeat ever since.
I do miss hearing the bells ring on my ankles, but whenever I look at my pair of salangai, this will always be the first thing that comes to my mind!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Cover Letter: Translator
21 Lower Kent Ridge Road
Singapore 119077
A0085616@nus.edu.sg
September 10, 2012
The Human Resource Manager
Ministry of Home Affairs
My SingPost Box 880117
Singapore 919191
Dear Ms Ang,
I am writing to express my interest in the position as a full-time translator for your company. This is in response to the advertisement posted on the Careers@Gov website on 1st September 2012.
As a computer-engineering undergraduate, I am equipped with the essential computer skills needed to be familiar with the tools and software used for translation by your organisation. More importantly, I have great interest in languages, reading and writing. The university module, Basic Translation, mainly exposed me to the various forms of basic translation. I also benefited from the additional practices that further trained and enhanced my translation skills beyond the fundamental objectives.
Being trained in relevant areas of knowledge required for this position, I believe that this will enable me to learn quickly and pick up information faster during the trainings provided by your organisation.
Furthermore, I had the opportunity to enhance my basic writing and communication skills in conversation with customers, through my previous work at AETOS. Similarly, having been involved in the SHF Flag Day, I had the chance to interact and train my communication skills. These allowed me to gain an insight into how translation can affect people’s interpretation of information, and therefore, to come up with more appropriate versions of translation.
I would appreciate the opportunity to grow not only as an employee but also as a student and to gain experience in the course of contributing to your organization. I believe my enthusiasm and willingness to learn will serve further as an asset to your company.
Please contact me if you require any further details. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you very much.
Yours Sincerely,
Lim Huiyun
Enclosure
Singapore 119077
A0085616@nus.edu.sg
September 10, 2012
The Human Resource Manager
Ministry of Home Affairs
My SingPost Box 880117
Singapore 919191
Dear Ms Ang,
I am writing to express my interest in the position as a full-time translator for your company. This is in response to the advertisement posted on the Careers@Gov website on 1st September 2012.
As a computer-engineering undergraduate, I am equipped with the essential computer skills needed to be familiar with the tools and software used for translation by your organisation. More importantly, I have great interest in languages, reading and writing. The university module, Basic Translation, mainly exposed me to the various forms of basic translation. I also benefited from the additional practices that further trained and enhanced my translation skills beyond the fundamental objectives.
Being trained in relevant areas of knowledge required for this position, I believe that this will enable me to learn quickly and pick up information faster during the trainings provided by your organisation.
Furthermore, I had the opportunity to enhance my basic writing and communication skills in conversation with customers, through my previous work at AETOS. Similarly, having been involved in the SHF Flag Day, I had the chance to interact and train my communication skills. These allowed me to gain an insight into how translation can affect people’s interpretation of information, and therefore, to come up with more appropriate versions of translation.
I would appreciate the opportunity to grow not only as an employee but also as a student and to gain experience in the course of contributing to your organization. I believe my enthusiasm and willingness to learn will serve further as an asset to your company.
Please contact me if you require any further details. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you very much.
Yours Sincerely,
Lim Huiyun
Enclosure
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Interpersonal Conflict.
Well, upon receiving Eric's comment (Thanks Eric!), I decided to do up another more appropriate post. Something more....interpersonal, I hope. Title sure makes a lot of difference!
To be more specific, I guess my previous post was just about a conflict. A conflict in general. I did know the stallholder for quite some time though. But I reckon our relationship wasn't strong enough for the conflict to be considered an interpersonal one.
I admit I'm spoilt for choice after accumulating so many interpersonal conflicts over the years. Yet, it just makes choosing one even tougher.
It was during the second year of my JC. The year before, I had joined Indian Dance as my CCA, despite having zilch dance background and the fact that I cannot dance for nuts. This meant double the effort from me as the other dancers had almost no problem picking up the steps. Effort inevitably meant time.
However, this was a huge problem for me. I had already flunked my first year very badly when I was struggling to balance my studies and CCA, especially since it was the year of our SYF (Singapore Youth Festival) competition. Being a professional procrastinator and slow learner certainly did not help.
Trainings got more intense and frequent. I'd be left with less than 6 hours at home everyday for having dinner, studying, sleeping and preparing for school. On top of that, because our batch saw too little new additions, I became part of the Exco. Apart from added responsibilities, higher commitment level was now expected of me.
My sleeping and studying routine was getting so drastically ridiculous that my aunts began voicing their concerns. Initially, I had assured them that after the competition ended, I would have plenty of time for that. Little did I expect another performance to pop up in the second year. Furthermore, being one of the Exco members, I had no valid reason to skip trainings. And honestly, I didn't want to.
But that ended up worsening the situation and straining our relationship. I'd practically go home every night utterly worn out. They'd add on with their brief nagging that would escalate into fierce exchanges which sometimes woke my grandparents up. We said tons of regretful and ugly things but I lost it when they demanded me to quit. I wasn't going to quit, not even when I was risking my place in school. I could see where they were coming from, and I knew it was my problem of poor time management, so I was forced to talk to my teacher about it.
Thankfully, I didn't have to quit eventually. I'm much more thankful that despite of all the horrible things we've hurled at one another in a fit of pique, the strain proved to be a strengthening bond ultimately.
Yet, looking back sometimes, I can't help but wonder, how could things have been different?
To be more specific, I guess my previous post was just about a conflict. A conflict in general. I did know the stallholder for quite some time though. But I reckon our relationship wasn't strong enough for the conflict to be considered an interpersonal one.
I admit I'm spoilt for choice after accumulating so many interpersonal conflicts over the years. Yet, it just makes choosing one even tougher.
It was during the second year of my JC. The year before, I had joined Indian Dance as my CCA, despite having zilch dance background and the fact that I cannot dance for nuts. This meant double the effort from me as the other dancers had almost no problem picking up the steps. Effort inevitably meant time.
However, this was a huge problem for me. I had already flunked my first year very badly when I was struggling to balance my studies and CCA, especially since it was the year of our SYF (Singapore Youth Festival) competition. Being a professional procrastinator and slow learner certainly did not help.
Trainings got more intense and frequent. I'd be left with less than 6 hours at home everyday for having dinner, studying, sleeping and preparing for school. On top of that, because our batch saw too little new additions, I became part of the Exco. Apart from added responsibilities, higher commitment level was now expected of me.
My sleeping and studying routine was getting so drastically ridiculous that my aunts began voicing their concerns. Initially, I had assured them that after the competition ended, I would have plenty of time for that. Little did I expect another performance to pop up in the second year. Furthermore, being one of the Exco members, I had no valid reason to skip trainings. And honestly, I didn't want to.
But that ended up worsening the situation and straining our relationship. I'd practically go home every night utterly worn out. They'd add on with their brief nagging that would escalate into fierce exchanges which sometimes woke my grandparents up. We said tons of regretful and ugly things but I lost it when they demanded me to quit. I wasn't going to quit, not even when I was risking my place in school. I could see where they were coming from, and I knew it was my problem of poor time management, so I was forced to talk to my teacher about it.
Thankfully, I didn't have to quit eventually. I'm much more thankful that despite of all the horrible things we've hurled at one another in a fit of pique, the strain proved to be a strengthening bond ultimately.
Yet, looking back sometimes, I can't help but wonder, how could things have been different?
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Conflicts.
When it comes to interpersonal communication, I tend to have this queer habit of imagining possible scenarios and then rehearsing all the probable reactions. Yet, many a times in reality, you are not blessed with some sort of time buffer to contemplate rationally. Especially for conflicts, most reactions would almost be impromptu and, sadly, regretful.
Conflicts are part and parcel of our daily lives. We had this survey in class once, and I remember being the only one who spoke dialect. This reminded me of an incident years ago when using dialect in a normal conversation somehow ended up as a wrong move.
In school, we were taught English and Mother Tongue. As such, it's not surprising to see the dialect-speaking population shrinking discouragingly. Speaking dialect has been a norm for me, though, ever since I learnt to talk. Despite so, I was careful to use it appropriately since I was aware that stereotypical opinions towards dialects do exist. What I didn't know was that some of these are just plain ridiculous.
It was a very simple order at a hawker centre - a bowl of noodles, with more chilli but less oil and meat - but I got back more than I had asked for. It was all because I had placed my order in Hokkien. After noting it down, the stallholder started to lecture me in a mixture of English and Mandarin with his opinions on speaking dialect. He first told me that students like me "shouldn't be speaking dialects" and that we "should speak just English" and our Mother Tongue. Before I could put forth any response, he followed with another argument that since I was in my school uniform, I should have been more sensitive towards the use of dialects.
At that very instant, I had very much wanted to just cancel my order and do that in English. Yet, all I did was to wait in silence but not without the typical offended expression. My hunger convinced me it wasn't worth venting my perplexity and his absurdity on the food. Despite so, I regretted that reaction of mine. Yes, I had satisfied my hunger, but I had failed to pacify my indignation. If the guy before me could place his order in dialect, why couldn't I?
Was it really wrong of me to speak dialect in that circumstance?
Conflicts are part and parcel of our daily lives. We had this survey in class once, and I remember being the only one who spoke dialect. This reminded me of an incident years ago when using dialect in a normal conversation somehow ended up as a wrong move.
In school, we were taught English and Mother Tongue. As such, it's not surprising to see the dialect-speaking population shrinking discouragingly. Speaking dialect has been a norm for me, though, ever since I learnt to talk. Despite so, I was careful to use it appropriately since I was aware that stereotypical opinions towards dialects do exist. What I didn't know was that some of these are just plain ridiculous.
It was a very simple order at a hawker centre - a bowl of noodles, with more chilli but less oil and meat - but I got back more than I had asked for. It was all because I had placed my order in Hokkien. After noting it down, the stallholder started to lecture me in a mixture of English and Mandarin with his opinions on speaking dialect. He first told me that students like me "shouldn't be speaking dialects" and that we "should speak just English" and our Mother Tongue. Before I could put forth any response, he followed with another argument that since I was in my school uniform, I should have been more sensitive towards the use of dialects.
At that very instant, I had very much wanted to just cancel my order and do that in English. Yet, all I did was to wait in silence but not without the typical offended expression. My hunger convinced me it wasn't worth venting my perplexity and his absurdity on the food. Despite so, I regretted that reaction of mine. Yes, I had satisfied my hunger, but I had failed to pacify my indignation. If the guy before me could place his order in dialect, why couldn't I?
Was it really wrong of me to speak dialect in that circumstance?
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