The rainbow colours in my life

This is probably one of the most interesting courses I have since the day I started primary school. No other lessons beat this module in terms of interactivity, connectivity and most importantly, criticality. Perhaps a couple of interesting lessons passed by me without my notice, but I still feel that this module has in, one a way or another, benefited me in many aspects.

One of the most memorable things about this module is the bond that I had built with the class in general. Even though we were cold towards each other during the first day of the lessons, now we can chit chat with each other as though there’s no tomorrow, spouting nonsense and laughing at each other’s silliness. Other than that, I had also learnt to be a better presenter (I hope) and also a better writer. I used to have a problem of writing with coherency, even for my other writing courses in the past. However, I am glad that I have since passed that stage and become a decent writer.

Sadly, good times fly and I hate to leave this class now. Maybe I am hoping to develop stronger bonds and friendship with the nice people in this class, but all good things will eventually come to an end. And so, I have this very queer idea in mind – what if there is a sequel to this module? Perhaps a level 3000 ES module that will allow students to opt if they want to further this course and let the whole class stay in the same group. Till then, I believe rapport is better among the peers and maybe we are able to each unleash our deepest and greatest potential in some of the activities carried out for this semester – oral presentation, peer-teaching and open discussion sessions.

So, after a year or two, who will still cross my mind – Brad Blackstone or Brad Pitt? I’ll go for the former if I get to see him often in school. =P

Thanks for the great partnerships in the oral presentation, Sarah and Xiang Min. Thanks for the great comments and tolerance shown towards boring old me to Chee Siang, Wan Wei, Abby, Yuan Ru, Aldrich, Wen Jun, Ken Jie, Sheryl, Evonne, and lastly, Brad. You guys are no doubt a rainbow in my life!

Judgment Day....and...TGIF!

Dear diary,

06/11/09, Friday (TGIF): Presentation took place. I went up first and I seemed to roll off rather well. However, I feared for the overall timing for our group, since the previous rehearsals showed that Sarah would take around 8 minutes, Xiang Min would take around 4 minutes and I would take 7 minutes for the first two components and around 2 minutes for the conclusion cum video. I took off at normal pace for my introduction and did rather well, but my pace went off the meter once I embarked on the survey findings. Perhaps because of the new added points from the night before, I had to speed up substantially to compensate for the time my teammates would require and guessed I had killed myself for it. Oh well, better for one to die than all to suffer. Shit, I forgot to smile! Luckily, that VISA advertisement parody still managed to tickle my humor senses even though I’ve watched it for like gazillion times. Just when I thought that everything was over, the worst had yet to come. Questions flooded my team from all over the floor and I could sense that my teammates were a little lost. I tried to answer every question to the best of my ability but I’m not sure if the message really gotten across, since most of the people were nice enough to ask simple questions. However, thankfully with the difficult questions, our team was able to show that we know our stuff well and was well-prepared for the Q&A session! Phew! Hopefully everything would go through smoothly for us and our presentation had successfully persuaded the imaginary NUSEU and OSA personnel into carrying out our painstaking proposal! Thank God It’s Friday! Good job from my teammates and team SAY!

Now, where am I supposed to start revising my final exams for the other modules? Crap, too much CCA information, ARGH, got to start dumping them into the recycle bin.

Signed off, Ivan

Diary entries before presentation

Dear diary,

28/10/09, Wednesday: Today is the first rehearsal for the oral presentation for ES2007S. Everyone came on time and we all gathered in the familiar setting – tutorial room where we usually have our ES2007S lessons. I started first but totally messed up my presentation! I stumbled, went blank and even forgot what I had to say. Darn, I am embarrassing myself in front of my teammates, Xiang Min and Sarah. Looks like I have to buckle up on my understanding of this project.

04/11/09, Wednesday: Once again, we went back to the ES2007S tutorial room. Many people walked past and walked off again after seeing the three of us occupying the whole classroom. This time round, I had improved drastically compared to the previous rehearsal, but my stumbling just kept recurring. Sarah and Xiang Min both had scripts on their hands and they seemed to be presenting way better than me. I really felt bad about it and feared that I would drag the whole team down. Fortunately, they both encouraged me and gave me good pointers, which I can mention during the actual presentation. Love my teammates! (The other teams' presentations were fantastic, made me worried for my own)

05/11/09, Thursday: One day before Judgment Day! Xiang Min could not make it due to his academic dedication, and seemed like there were only Sarah and myself left. We tried to present to each other in her hostel room, but the effect seemed rather crippled. I added more ideas as I presented more and more, till Sarah couldn’t take it anymore and I was left presenting to myself in front of the mirror. Freaky!

Time to go and sleep before a presentation for tomorrow.

Signed off, Ivan

HAPPY 'BRAD'-DAY!

A VERY VERY VERY VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!~~~

From: ES2007S Group 9!!

What a time in Japan! An intercultural conflict you will never want to have!

Excitement overwhelms me as I alight from the car with a womanly figure waiting for us at the beautiful house’s doorstep. This is the first time I see my aunt Emma as she has been staying in Japan after marrying her Japanese husband, Ken. However, no one would have expected this trip to be my family’s first intercultural conflict, with a kinship at stake!

Being superstitious, my mother loves to read the horoscope book and realizes that my aunt‘s bed must be positioned such that her head will face the north to attract prosperity. Without asking for permission, my mother shifts the bed out of kind intentions. After that, my family goes out to visit some tourist attraction areas till late night.

As we return joyously from the shopping and sightseeing, my mother and I notice my aunt alone in the living room crying. My mother approaches my aunt and asks her what has happened, but my aunt just keeps on weeping bitterly. Without a word, my mother furiously storms into my aunt’s room and confronts Ken. She demands that he apologizes to my aunt, without seeking for the cause of the misunderstanding beforehand. My mother’s bad temper and lousy emotional management have gotten the better of her. Soon, a heated argument emerges and things turn ugly for both families as profanities are exchanged. Weirdly, the argument sounds rather entertaining as Ken scolds in Japanese while my mother shouts in her dialect. Nonetheless, the trip ends prematurely in dismay and my aunt never contact us ever since.

It takes my mother months before she realizes what has triggered Ken’s madness. One day, my mother receives a letter from her sister Emma out of the blue. When she starts reading it, her face immediately turns red as tomato in embarrassment. My mother has learnt that the Japanese, in their customary acts, will lay dead bodies with the heads facing the north! Therefore, what my mother has done is a taboo and no wonder Ken is offended by my mother’s actions. It seems as though my mother is hoping early deaths for both my aunt Emma and her husband Ken.

Better late than never, my mother has admitted that this matter is her fault and decides to eradicate this bad blood between the two families. It takes years to resolve this bad conflict completely before we go back to my aunt’s place again. This time round, we have learnt about Japan’s dos and don’ts, while my mother has taken up anger management courses.

A Personal Statement from a personal experience (Modified)

Third draft
It was a high counsel whom I had heard given to a young person once, “Always do what you are afraid to do.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th century American philosopher

This quote reflects my strong belief in possessing determination and perseverance in everything I pursue. It helps me to be fearless against any difficulties.

When I decided to pursue a major in Life Science, many people were puzzled as I used to under-achieve for biology, my most feared subject in secondary school. There was even once when my mother got me to kneel in front of the altar for half a day just for failing miserably for biology. My bruised knees ended up with painful sores but she unsympathetically shouted at me: “What the bloody hell is this shit result? You better buck up before I hang you upside down then you know!”. That was the last time when I saw her blood-shot eyes as her reaction scared the daylight out of me. She looked as though she was going to suffer a heart-attack and that scene really broke my heart.

With fears for my mum’s health and the biology subject, I only studied chemistry and physics for my ‘A’ levels. I could have taken biology in ‘A’ levels too as I still managed to scrape a pass in it for ‘O’ levels. However, I told myself that I would never want to see her agitated over my studies ever again.

Despite all the setbacks and disadvantages, I was still determined to choose biology in my undergraduate studies after excelling for all the subjects I took for 'A' levels. Talks and seminars about Life Science inspired me and gave me lots of ideas on what I could possibly achieve from this course. Some admired my bravery, while others mocked my stupidity for not choosing other courses I am good in. However, I persevered and have excelled in it as evident from my resume.

With this experience, I have gained the ability to cope with difficulties and overcome my fears in any endeavors. Perseverance has allowed me to pursue knowledge out of my comfort zone. It has also helped me to serve as a good role model to the others. I hope to be able to demonstrate to students that through this sort of effort, they can reap by being willing to strive. Therefore, students will never be afraid to maintain continual learning as a lifelong habit and have the courage to face any adversity in future.

In every teaching process, learning also takes place. Who says that the teacher never learns, or the student can never teach? We are all together in the same boat on the journey of education.

Second draft
It was a high counsel whom I had heard given to a young person once, “Always do what you are afraid to do.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th century American philosopher

This quote reflects my strong belief in possessing determination and perseverance in everything I pursue. It develops me to be fearless against any difficulties.

When I decided to pursue a major in Life Science, many people were puzzled as I used to under-achieve for Biology, my most feared subject in secondary school. Moreover, I only studied Chemistry and Physics for my ‘A’ levels. Some admired my bravery, while others mocked at my stupidity for not choosing other courses I am good in. Despite all the setbacks and disadvantages, I still chose Biology in my undergraduate studies and have excelled in it as evident from my resume.

With this experience, I have gained the ability to cope with difficulties and overcome my fears in future endeavors. It has allowed me to pursue knowledge out of my comfort zone. Hence, this experience recognizes me as a good role model for students to emulate. My experience also contributes to the Ministry of Education’s desired outcomes of education as it will allow students to see what they can reap by being willing to strive. In addition, this provides them the courage and conviction in facing any adversity in future. Lastly, it cultivates students to maintain continual learning as a lifelong habit.

In every teaching process, learning also takes place. Who says that the teacher never learns, or the student can never teach? We are all together in the same boat on the journey of education.

Application for an Education Officer Position

Job applied:
Education Officer in Ministry of Education, Singapore

Requirements for job:
The Ministry seeks for individuals to be good role models with passion for education, the knowledge to engage students in the learning process, and an inspiration to the students. In addition, as the heart and soul of the class, the teacher must be the pulse that maintains a lively and engaging class. Moreover, the teacher must also prepare the students for challenges in life by nurturing their spirit of innovation and grooming them into all round individuals. In return, teachers will develop and grow both as a person and a professional while they plough and flourish students into future pillars of the nation.
(Reference: http://www.moe.edu.sg/careers/teach/)

Application letter:

Block 344
Choa Chu Kang Loop
#11-51
Singapore 680344

September 4, 2009

Ms. Phua Puay Li
Deputy Director of Human Resource Development
Ministry of Education, Singapore
1 North Buona Vista Drive
Singapore 138675

Dear Ms. Phua,

Re: Application for an Education Officer Position

I am writing in response to your advertisement on the Ministry of Education website. I believe that I can contribute to the ministry as the position requirements and my skills are a perfect match.

I will graduate in July 2010 with a Bachelor of Science with Honours degree in Life Science (Specialisation in Molecular Cell Biology). Since secondary school days, I have yearned to enter the education sector to contribute back to the society for its support in my education. This is because of the inspiration that my teachers have brought onto me and my aspiration to influence the future leaders of the country. As I embark on my teaching stint, I become more fascinated with the satisfaction of teaching. Not only does it give me confidence in interpersonal relationships, I am also impressed by the influence that teachers have on their students. All the attachments to the local schools and private education sector have helped me gain some experience in teaching and management of a class. Moreover, the experience also confirms my passion to teach as a lifelong career.

You asked for a good role model and the heart and soul of a class, and I am one. Despite my hectic schedule as an NUS student, I continue to work as a tutor and also take up relief teaching in schools during the university term breaks. This allows me to continuously be able to engage the students in their learning. Without losing touch with this skill, I am able to keep lessons lively and interactive. From time to time, counseling of the students is inevitable. Therefore, my experience in an EQ workshop provides me the appropriate skills in helping students with family or school problems. Moreover, to groom the students into all-round individuals, I believe that teachers must have all-rounded skills and knowledge to impart to the students. Hence, I trust that my IT skills and professional training will equip me to put in my best when it comes to providing the students with an innovative and fun-learning learning environment.

From the enclosed resume, a DISC personality profile evaluation clearly states that I am an easy-going, lively and patient person. Generally, I am able to get along harmoniously with people. Thus, I believe that I can relate to students in particular and fit well in the education organization.

I would welcome an opportunity to discuss with you on how I could be of service to the ministry. I can be reached at the number and email address indicated in the enclosed resume. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thank you very much for your kind attention and time taken.


Sincerely,

Yow Ying Ming, Ivan
Enclosure: Resume

Things would not have come to such an end if only the interpersonal conflict was resolved…

“Who the hell was that guy touching you just now?” Alan bawled out at Belinda, his girlfriend of two years. His voice could be heard even though I was distance away and we were in a noise-filled cheerleading competition ground. As I was approaching them, Alan’s face was fuming red while Belinda was trying hard to control her emotions. Yet, tears involuntarily rolled down her cheeks. He scolded her incessantly, without providing her any chance to rebuke or speak up for herself.

Everything was perfect about this couple except that Alan was not comfortable with Belinda’s participation in cheerleading. Cheerleading was Belinda’s passion at that time but Alan detested the idea of his girlfriend being touched by another guy. Apparently, Belinda was happily giving her best for this competition. However, a guy in her group accidentally groped her breasts during the competition. Alan witnessed it and took it with offence.

“Calm down dude, it probably was an accident. Don’t be so harsh on her.”, I said. I tried to mediate matters but was ticked off by Alan for being a busybody as he pushed me off forcefully with his body weight. Male egoism took over me as I hurled vulgarities at him for laying his fingers on me. I walked off furiously with a middle finger pointed at him.

After a week, news of Alan and Belinda’s breakup reached my ears.

Words should never be sprouted out in a fit of anger. However, are there ways to prevent or rationally resolve conflicts? If yes, what would you have done under such a circumstance?

What communication was like for me when I was shunned for my zero appeal appearance

I mentioned in my previous blog about how obesity deprived me of friends and confidence to converse with others. It was because of my puffy figure that made others thought of me as the ‘Stay Puft Marshmallow Man’ in ‘Ghostbusters’. Moreover, many could not communicate with me when I simply kept quiet most of the time. Empathy and vivid re-enactment for those with a similar past of mine, but for the others that grew up in style and were well-liked by many, ever wonder what life is like as an ugly duckling?

I was a mere 1.4 metres tall boy with a weight of 60 kilograms, which I am also weighing at the present moment. Even joining the Trim-and-fit club, a compulsory programme for obese children to exercise and eat healthily, did not help much as I grew larger everyday. In the end, I was asked to leave the club because mine was labeled as an unsalvageable case. Since I did not look as average-sized as my peers, I felt alienated and wanted to be solemn. The only friend I made, still my current best friend, was a boy that sat beside me for the whole 6 years of my primary school life. I felt that I was in my comfort zone only when I was with him. Anyone else would pose a ‘threat’ to me such that I would not feel comfortable talking or even looking at him/her in his/her eyes. Most of the time, my communication with others was either a short phrase or a nod for acknowledgement. At that time, handphones were not common for schoolchildren till I was in Secondary 4 and the Internet was not as accessible as now. Thus, my opportunity to reach out to others beyond my comfort zone was virtually ‘mission impossible’ and I felt helpless about it.

How it all started and why the need for effective communication

When I was an adolescent, I could not make any friends due to obesity and feared in engaging conversations with strangers. People either shunned me for my appearance or gave up trying to communicate with me. As I progressed on to secondary school, health-consciousness kicked in and I underwent intensive diet cum exercise regimes. An improved outlook managed to confer me with larger and more social circles. However, the early problem of conversing with strangers still posed some uneasiness to me as I continued to flinch while communicating with people. This obstacle persisted till my Junior College period, when an incident gave me a wake-up call pertaining to my inability to communicate with others.

Being the pioneer batch of Junior College students to embark on the Project Work programme, the main emphasis was on the PowerPoint and oral presentation. After months of preparation, the finale had finally arrived. In a team of five, after my peers finished their presentation, I presented the conclusion of the project. However, due to my anxiety, my body was as stiff as a rod and my speech was periodically stumped. The atmosphere was tense and at that point of time, I knew that I had implicated my team. The expressions on the examiners’ faces displayed their dissatisfaction and there was no applause from anyone after my sloppy performance.

Ever since then, communication became an essential tool for me to express my ideas and feelings. Through the hard way, I learnt that body language plays an important part in conveying my message or emotions. My message to my targeted audience is now clearer and they can grasp the gist of my intention. Moreover, the art of communication bestowed me the confidence of others and a fair maiden’s heart.

*Under Construction*

This baby was born about 5minutes ago. Give it some time before it flourishes into a well-grown chill-out corner for anyone under the sun that will be interested in the topics discussed. Thank you for your co-operation and patience.