Using a Wiki...

The wiki our group used most for this project is the Googledocs. Before this module, I already knew about Googledocs. As Yinghui mentioned, it is a great collaborative tool for project work with auto-save function and a chat-box for us to communicate.  While we also used the NUS wiki, I feel that Googledocs is much more convenient and easy to use; and I personally prefer its interface.

Besides using Googledocs for our group report, we also used email and Windows messenger to send powerpoint slides to each other. Thus, it can be seen how technology has indeed facilitated programmes which can provide great convenience and aid to project work.

As Yinghui mentioned, each of us in the group had the initiative to finish our tasks on time and did not resolve to slipshod work despite having a lot of other assignments on hand. This project was smooth-sailing and an enjoyable one for me, and I feel that perhaps one day in the near future, URA may really implement what our proposals have included. ;)

Reflection on Oral Presentation

The group project, done together with Charles and Yinghui, was focused on how to achieve sustainable development in Singapore. Our group came one with 3 proposals, one allocated to the each of us. 

The proposals included:

• Biodiesel- done by Xiuxian (me) 
• Cycling- done by Yinghui  
• Nuclear Energy- done by Charles

 

 

Dry Run

As Yinghui mentioned, as all 3 of us were taking different modules, there was a lack of time to meet up. As a result, our dry run was done with insufficient preparation. In addition to that, I had to be in charge of the introduction, and that made me additionally nervous. The video camera also made me uncomfortable. As a result, for my part, I fumbled and was unable to bring across my points to the audience. 

However, after the dry run, I realised my shortcomings in presentation skills due to pointers from the tutor and my classmates, such as I was too soft, points needed to be elaborated and I need to face the audience more. In addition to that, I also learnt that I MUST NOT put my hands in front of my groin in the 'Adam in Eden' stance while presenting. :P 


With these pointers in mind, I set my mind to do much better for the actual presentation itself.

Actual Presentation

For the actual presentation, our team re-did our slides and script. I added in more diagrams to visually aid the audience. There was a slip-up though, as our slides were unable to load properly. Luckily, Malcolm helped and it works! He was given the name 'IT wizard' aka 'Harry Potter' by the tutor. Haha. 

 

 

 

This time round with more preparation, I was more confident than during the dry run, and faced the audience squarely, while clearly bringing across my points. One bad thing was that I was still too soft. It is something I will have to work on, maybe I should bring a microphone while presenting in future and make full use of existing technology.

Reflection

As a whole, I feel that our group improved alot. Charles managed to find points to support our stand of building a nuclear plant in Singapore. Speaking of which, there has been recent news that Singapore is still going ahead with the plans of a nuclear plant despite the Japanese incident. Yinghui also did well in her part about cycling. Overall, this has been a fulfilling experience which allowed me to learn about and become more confident in presentation skills. (:

Intercultural Behavior

In an increasingly cosmopolitan world today, the 'mish-mash' of different cultures at a common location is seemingly inevitable. Thus, there is a need for intercultural competency in every individual, which will allow one to successfully communicate with people of other cultures, and minimise the possibilty of interpersonal conflicts.

Today I will blog about an optimistic intercultural scenario I have encountered first-hand just a few weeks ago, when I was at my friend's house doing a project.  My friend has an adorable dog for a pet, called 'Boy Boy'.

Meet Boy Boy! :D

My project group is made up of 5 girls- 4 of us are Chinese, and 1 of us is a Malay. Because of our different beliefs, religions, and practices, my Malay friend, who is a Muslim, was unable to make contact with the dog.
Thankfully, my other friend, the owner of the dog, was very conscious of these cultural differences and made it a point to place a board across the kitchen door to keep the dog away from the rest of us who were in the living room. The rest of us who played with the dog also realised the cultural differences and made sure we washed our hands thoroughly before heading back to continue the project, lest we touch our Malay friend unknowingly.

These simple gestures may seem meaningless and even petty to some, but I feel glad that we took effort to prevent any intercultural discomfort from occuring. By being thoughtful of cultural differences between each other, we saved our Malay friend the need of feeling unhappy and prevented any misunderstandings from happening. Our Malay friend probably felt relieved and non-isolated from us despite our differences.

Thus, I conclude that it is important to always be aware of the intercultural differences between people. I guess the key words here are 'tolerance' and 'compromise' between cultures. With more understanding towards others' perspectives, we will be more accepting of the differences between others and ourselves. On a personal basis, it will allow for genuine care between people and prevent feelings from being hurt. On a wide-scope basis, it will allow people of different cultures to work together well.

(:

Resume and Application Letter

URL for my job advertisement: http://www.dfsgalleria.com/en/your-career-at-dfs/learning-and-development-management-trainee-program

 My Application Letter:

February 9, 2011

Huo Xiuxian
Bedok North Street 4, Blk 91 #06-1517, Singapore 460091
Mobile: 97612805
hxxc89@hotmail.com

HR Department

DFS Galleria Singapore

Dear HR Manager,

Re: Application for Global Management Trainee Programme (MTP)

I am writing to apply for the Management Trainee Programme offered by DFS. After visiting the DFS booth at the career fair held in my university earlier this year, I gained interest in the programme.

I will be graduating from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in July with a degree in Life Science. While my major may not be directly related to management, I believe that my dedication and my willingness to learn will help to create value for DFS. At NUS, I have developed an educational experience that has granted me knowledge, contact with students from all over the globe as well as the skills of expressing myself clearly. Through project work and involvement in group activities such as soccer, I have learnt the importance of teamwork and am confident of my skills in interpersonal communication. During my school vacations, I have worked in several companies, which granted me the experience of work, and where I acquired insight into the business field of retail operations, marketing, event work and customer service. As a result of these experiences, I am sure of my passion towards the field and hope to bring both skills and a fresh perspective to the team at DFS.

I am a self-driven team player who has always wanted to work in the international market. I am interested in fashion and beauty and am constantly updating myself on news from these fields. My career objectives are to give my best in a dynamic and challenging work environment, maximise my learning and to find fulfilment in the job. The training programme offered by DFS gives me the chance to fulfil this objective as well as an opportunity to gain exposure to different fields, people and knowledge. I am confident that my experiences and strong interest towards management will allow me to excel in the programme.

I would very much like the opportunity of an interview with you at your convenience. Enclosed below is my resumé. I will be available for work upon my graduation in July 2011.

I look forward to your response. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Huo Xiuxian (Chloe)

My Resume:

Huo Xiuxian (Chloe)

Bedok North Street 4, Blk 91 #06-1517 Singapore 460091

Mobile Number: 97612805 Email: hxxc89@hotmail.com

Education

Bachelor of Science, Major in Life Science                              August 2008 to date
Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore
Expected date for completion of degree:                                          May 2011

GCE ‘A’ Level Cert                                                                          2007
Meridian Junior College

GCE ‘O’ Level Cert                                                                          2005
Anglican High School

Work Experience
L'oreal Singapore, Lancome                                                       November 2011
Lancome Roadshow Ambassador
Handled customers at roadshow, sales profits, and ushering.

INDITEX Group, Zara                                                                  May – July 2010
Assistant Sales Associate
Handled customers on the shop front, sales profits, merchandising and managing stock room duties.

Essential Venture Events Company, HSBC Bank                  January 2010
Assistant Promoter
Handled customers at roadshow, and ushering.

KC and Watsons, Distributor of Hills Pet Food                May - August 2009
Assistant Promoter and Merchandiser
Managed publicity of Hills, outlook and sales profits of pet food booths.

Monetary Authority of Singapore, MAS                              March – May 2008
Temporary Administrative Officer
Performed administrative tasks in allocated department and assisted in facilitation of trainings and workshops.

Singapore Telecommunications, Singtel     December 2007 – March 2008
Temporary Customer Service Officer
Answered calls pertaining fault reporting, catered to customers' requests, performed administrative duties of call recording.

Ministry of Transport, MOT                                                    December 2006
Traffic Counter
Calibrated human traffic flow at Orchard area during Christmas lighting period.

Marina Mandarin Hotel                                                           November 2006
Banquet Waitress
Served customers in buffet lunch and wedding banquets.

Awards & Honours
National Youth Achievement Award (Bronze)                             April 2005
Recognition of Outstanding Youths in aspects of Self-development

The University of New South Wales (Credit)                               2004
English International Competition for Schools


DanceWorks!, National Council against Drug Abuse                 2004
Participation in Anti-Drug Abuse Campaign as a dancer

National Survival Swimming Award (Gold)                                 April 2002

Royal Academy of Dance, England                                             March 2002
Graded Examinations in Classical Ballet, Grade Four

Leadership Experience/CCA
Open House, NUS                                                                       To date, 2011
Student Marshall

Class Coordinator, Meridian Junior College                                 2007
Coordinated design and ordering of class tee shirts

Chingay Festival, Meridian Junior College                                   2006
Participant

Female Soccer Team, Meridian Junior College       January 2006 – December 2007
Central Defender

Girl Guides, Anglican High School                          January 2002 – December 2005
Treasurer

Others

Language: Fluent in English and Chinese (Mandarin)

IT Skills: Proficient in MS Office Applications

Interests: Running, movies, traveling, beauty and fashion, technology

Interpersonal conflict

I feel that  interpersonal conflicts are unavoidable in everyday situations- whether at work, at home, or between friends. This is because everyone has a different train of thought and opinions on different issues.

To me, conflicts are essential for growth of the relationship between people. In fact, a relationship with frequent conflict may be healthier than one with no observable conflict. This is because to me, conflict gives people the chance to understand and accept the differences between each other.

For example, my boyfriend and I often disagree over issues, small or big. While it is true that sometimes our differences regarding several issues bring about conflicts and we may feel displeasure towards each other, ultimately we always manage to resolve the issue by talking it out calmly and reaching a compromise with each other. At the end of the day, these conflicts and disagreements allow us to understand each other's perspectives and the relationship grows stronger. Thus, I feel that conflicts, when managed properly, allow for growth of relationships between people as it allows us to learn more about and then accept the differences between people.

I'm thankful that in my relationship with my boyfriend thus far, we have managed to overcome our conflicts and have come out stronger after each conflict we had. However, sometimes, when not handled properly, conflicts can cause resentment, hostility and perhaps the ending of the relationship, which can be quite scary and heart-breaking. :(

It is therefore very important that conflict is handled properly so that it can be productive – leading to deeper understanding, mutual respect and closeness between people. The dynamics of a relationship depends not so much on the number of conflicts between participants, but on how the conflicts are resolved.

To me, I feel that effective communication and attitude play big roles in managing conflicts. Thus, here are 3 tips which I feel may be useful for managing interpersonal conflicts:

1) Always try to calm down before speaking to the other party. Anger often causes us to say hurtful things that we may not actually mean.

2) Always remember that everyone bears flaws. With this mindset, we won't be so harsh towards others (:

3) Always try to resolve conflicts on the day itself. Don't go to bed with a belly full of anger because that's not healthy for the relationship, or yourself.

These tips are just some views from my own experience.
Food for thought: Which would you choose?  
Cat fight...

Or cat cuddles?   Cheers! Make love, not war! (: ------------------------  References:http://www.drbalternatives.com/articles/cc2.html

The Importance of Effective Communication Skills

To me, communication is a crucial process and makes up a big part in every person's life. As social beings, communication is evident in all aspects of our lives. Whether in school, at the workplace, or at home, interaction between others and ourselves are unavoidable in any scenario and are required for the proper conveying of messages, intentions, feelings and information.  Communication, however, is not just about two people talking to each other. Effective communication is a dynamic process which involves both verbal and non-verbal interactions between two or more individuals. The speaker has to be able to transmit his message to the receiver well such that the receiver is able to fully grasp what the speaker is saying. The receiver should also provide feedback so that the speaker can assess if the way he communicates is effective. Thus, effective communication goes two ways between the parties involved and is very important in order to avoid any social breakdown, such as misunderstandings and conflicts, and to allow for efficient cycling of information between individuals. When communication fails, social acceptance fails and inter-personal problems arise. One main factor accounting for the breakdown of marriage between two people, for example, is often due to ineffective communication.   The bee makes an interesting example of effective communication. Upon discovering nectar, the bee goes back to its hive and communicates its discovery to other bees by dancing. The intensity and type of dance depends on the distance of the nectar from the hive, and also the quantity available for harvesting. Bees are also able to communicate through smell, by the secretions of hormones called pheromones from their bodies. While the bees use the language of smells and dancing to communicate information to their counterparts, communication is much more complicated for humans. We are exposed to a plentiful array of purposes, audiences and contexts, which causes the messages we need to send to our counterparts to be much more complex as opposed to the bees. Thus, the language we humans speak include both verbal and non-verbal aspects, and in order to communicate effectively, we have to learn how to read others' body languages and to take note of the tone and choice of words we use in conveying our message. To conclude, effective communication is important to me as it allows for the proper interaction between individuals. When one is able to effectively communicate and bring himself across to others, he prevents awkward social situations from unfolding unto himself and presents himself as a confident person who thinks before he speaks. Thus, effective communication not only helps in maintaining successful relationships, it contributes to self-value. When one is able to communicate properly, he is more likely to excel in the fields of his life as he is capable of bringing his point across well (academically, at work, or his private life). Thus, one has better control over his life and can achieve, ultimately, happiness. Therefore, effective communication is an important skill I wish to learn and hold on to for life. I hope to be somebody who can bring her views and thoughts across to others effectively, so that I can strive to be a confident, and happy individual. (:  -------------------------------------
Reference for information on bees:http://www.badhonhara.com/Article_Body.php?Article_ID=329&Sub_Sub_Category_ID=169

First Post

testing... for the module ES2007S!