따뜻한는

昨天无意间看到了一句很有意思的话
真的很有意思
"Somewhere there's someone who dreams of your smiles and finds in your presence that life is worthwhile. So when you are lonely, remember this is true. Someone, somewhere is thinking of you."
最近常听到类似的话，有人说过真心相信自己内心的坚持和想法的话，心里面所想的有一天就会成真。
也许吧！希望我也能拥有那样的信心，相信自己所相信的总有一天会成真。希望大家也能如愿，那么就真的太好了^^

傻笑的我...

听起来也许很傻，但是大家会在什么样的情况下独自傻笑呢？我现在就是这样的心情啊！！！为什么？其实不为什么，只因为我所欣赏的一个韩国艺人得奖了！！！很傻对吧？！可是我真的真的是打从心底为她感到开心啊！这么多年来，她精湛的演技一致受到了大家的肯定，可是却一年又一年地与奖无缘，真的觉得很难过啊！这一次，看到拍摄电影时她为了呈献出最好的给观众而付出的汗水与泪水，让我觉得好感动啊... 现在她的努力赢来了第18届春史最佳演技女演员的奖项，得到了大众的肯定与掌声，我不由地开心得傻笑了起来！也许这就是我吧！我总会在不经意的情况下感动，也许只是因为一些小事而觉得心里暖暖的，但是这就是我啊！也因为这样，我知道我的心依旧如昔，想为别人默默付出的心意没有改变过。我想...在爱与被爱之间，我应该是选择了前者。没有所谓的幸与不幸，只要是照着自己的心，做自己想做的，我...是幸福的...

想放弃。。。

很累~ 没有选择的等待~ 不知道要等到何时~ 想放弃又无法放弃~ 抱着希望却又不敢期待~ 难过~ 无法释放的情绪。。。

忘了我是谁

有时，没有理由，只想呆在自己的世界里，做自己想做的事~

即使和朋友聚会，在一起的时候，总是不知道该说些什么~ 只是静静在一旁听着，觉得有趣的就会在旁傻笑~ 有时，大概连我自己也不知道究竟为什么好笑吧...

不敢直视别人的眼睛，是害怕和别人对上眼时，被别人看穿心思，所以和别人之间慢慢地筑起了一层高高的墙~ 没有勇气，也没有信心，觉得没有人会喜欢上我~ 因为害怕受到伤害，所以一直到现在，都没有谈过恋爱~ 说出去，大概没有人会相信吧！也许爱情曾经来过，但是因为我的胆怯，让它不知不觉溜走了...

20多年的岁月，就这样过去了...

我还会再有能得到幸福的机会吗？我的心好似一直都没有因为某个人的出现而跳跃，又或者是因为我自己没有察觉到呢？是这样吗？我自认是个sensitive的人耶~

看了自己去年写得blog，猛然发现，那时的我自信满满，而且座右铭还是"Always have faith in yourself, believe in what you believe". 看了之后，现在的我大概是被敲醒了吧！加油了！！！

希望自己能够一直记住这句座右铭，在迷失自己的时候，也能找到那个隐藏在深处的我~ 신화，fighting!!!

10月的心情

很累...身体累了， 心也累了... 还能走下去吗

Final Reflection

It will be soon that this three-month course is coming to the end. During this period of time, I have benefited a lot from what I have learned.

Professional communication is not only about the interaction and conversation between people, but also includes efficient writing skills. I have learned to write effectively in different types of formats ranging from business correspondence and survey report to resume and job application letter.

Through the conduction of a survey, I have been exposed to the proper way of writing a survey report and also presenting the report in groups. During the process of writing the survey report, I have come across situations where there were confusion and disagreement between my teammates and me. However, because of all the difficulties we faced with, we have learned to convey our messages to each other in a clearer and more concise way. It has further convinced me of the importance of effective communication.

In addition, intercultural communication is another crucial aspect in sustaining a good relationship between people from different races and cultures. It is important to take note of the cultures of people whom we interact with, so as to avoid unnecessary misinterpretations and conflicts.

Although sometimes it was hard for me to cope with the workloads of this course while there is a need for my commitment in other modules at the same time, I still appreciate it much as I have gone through many new experiences during this short period of time. Sometimes, it is the process that matters and which is more precious than the outcome.

Biodata

Sin Hui is a NUS undergraduate currently pursuing a bachelor of degree in Life Sciences (in the concentration of Biomedical Science) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). As an international student in NUS, she has been striving hard to maintain a satisfying academic performance in a competitive environment with other excellent students from many other countries.

She has high expectations of herself and holds on to her principles. Once she has made up her mind to do something, she would move on and never gives up easily as she believes that hard work and perseverance could make things different. Her dream job is to become an international piano performer albeit it may seem far from reached.

During her free time, she enjoys reading classical literatures and listening to soothing music. In addition, she has begun to enjoy playing badminton with her friends every Thursday. She loves dark chocolates as she thinks that it would make her feel better whenever she is down.

Apart from Life Sciences modules, she is interested in psychology and astronomy. She wishes she would have the chance to explore the fascinating galaxy, aurora and midnight sun. Her motto in life is “Always have faith in yourself and believes in what you believe”.

Challeges Make You Stronger

There was once when I was caught in a dilemma when my Mathematics teacher had done something which seems unreasonable to me.

It all happened when I applied for leave on one day of the mid-term examinations to attend the funeral of my uncle’s wife. After that day, I went to my Mathematics teacher and asked her about the details for my make-up test. I was shocked when she told me that she would only give me 45 minutes to complete my paper when the duration of the paper was supposed to be 90 minutes!

She explained to me that it would be fairer to other students since I were to take a make-up test. I could not understand why she would do that to me as she had said nothing when I gave her the letter regarding my absence for the paper beforehand. When she saw that I was in a hesitation, not only did she not take any pity on me, but she kept pressing on to ask if I still would want to take the make-up test.

I knew I had no other choice except taking the challenge (though I could have approached the Head of Student for help) as I did not want to make things worse. Luckily I managed to complete all the questions within 45 minutes. When I got my marked paper back from my teacher, I felt like I had just slapped her on the face as I could still score 86 marks though she might not have expected that.

Do you think that it was appropriate for teachers to cut down the duration of paper for students who take the make-up test? What would you do if you are in my shoes? Would you have approached the Head of Student for help or just do what the teacher asked of?

Evaluating Intercultural Behavior

Adeline is an exchange student from Australia. During the first tutorial class of a chemistry module, she became friends with a Malay student named Sharifah. After they get to know each other better, Sharifah invites Adeline to her house during Hari Raya Puasa. Hari Raya Puasa, also known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri is a festival celebrated by the Malays marking the end of one month of fasting.

On the day Adeline visited Sharifah, she wore a jeans with a low-cut blouse. Sharifah invited Adeline into her house and introduced Adeline to her parents. When Adeline tried to shake hand with Sharifah’s father, he avoided and walked away to entertain other relatives. Adeline was shocked by his response and slowly withdrew her hand.

After that, Adeline had lunch with Sharifah’s family. There was a variety of delicious spicy dishes prepared by Sharifah’s mother. When Sharifah’s mother passed the bowl of curry to Adeline and asked her to try, Adeline quickly held out her left hand to take the bowl. Sharifah’s mother did not say anything but she looked angry.

After Adeline left, Sharifah’s parents told her that they thought Adeline was arrogant and impolite. Sharifah tried to explain to her parents about Adeline’s behavior. On the other hand, Adeline had asked Sharifah about her father’s response that day. She thought she was not welcomed by Sharifah’s father.

In my opinion, I think that the main problem of the conflict is the misunderstanding of the cultural values and norms between Adeline and Sharifah’s parents. Adeline may not realize that Malay women and men should not shake hands in the context of greetings. In addition, Adeline should always use her right hand to receive things. On the other hand, Sharifah’s parents may misunderstand that Adeline did not respect their cultures. They may not realize that Adeline was ignorant of their social norms. In order to prevent any further misunderstanding, Sharifah should tell Adeline more about their social norms and cultures. Furthermore, Sharifah should persuade her parents to invite Adeline to their house again to resolve the conflict.

Business Correspondence Critique

This email is about the Career Fair and some of the details of it.

From: NUS Career Fair Services
Subject: Exciting Updates You Want to Note! @ NUS Career Fair 2009 (12&13 Feb 09)

Dear Students

By now, with all the NUS Career Fair 2009 publicity around campus in full force (eg banners, buntings, emails, tabloids etc), we trust you are gearing up for this once-a-year major recruitment event!!!

In our last email, we mentioned all the NEW things that we have included at this Fair and why you must not miss it. In this email, we want to further highlight 3 exciting initiatives and why you should get involved!!

1. INDUSTRY AND CAREER TALKS

- 14 talks over 2 days

- Distinguished speakers from reputable companies - Electronic Arts Asia, Kelly Services, Singapore National Employers Federation, Spring Singapore and even our very own NUS Career Centre and NUS Entrepreneurship Centre

- Wide range of relevant topics - from realities of the current employment market, employers’ expectations, opportunities in various industries to coping with rejection and adversity

Knowledge is power! Print a copy of the Talks Schedule and attend these talks. It will definitely be worth your while to come and learn from these experts.

2. STUDENT AMBASSADORS @ OPENING CEREMONY

- 12 Feb 09, Thu, 9.30am – 10.30am (only 1 hour!)

- Rare opportunity to host VIPs and participating employers of the Fair

- Network and receive undivided attention from the employers

- Opportunity to impress and leave a lasting impression – doors to many job opportunities were opened to Student Ambassadors of previous career fairs!

Only students who meet the mark will be given this golden opportunity. Register immediately. All successful students will be given an intensive briefing to prepare well for the role.

3. NUS CAREER FAIR 2009 ON PODCASTS & YOUTUBE!!

- Convenience at your fingertips! First time ever, access links to our Podcasts on http://nuss.wordpress.com.

- Listen to the premiere episode of the NUS Career Center Podcasting Program, ‘How Can I Find a Job?’ with Ms Corrine Ong, Director (NUS Career Center) on what the NUS Career Center is doing for NUS students.

- Stay tuned for another segment on ‘How to Make a Good First Impression at the Career Fair’ available from next week onwards.

- You will also be able to view the NUS Career Fair highlights on our Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/NUSCareerCenter during and after the Fair.

In addition, the NUS Career Centre is also on FACEBOOK! Add ‘NUS Career Centre’ as one of your Facebook groups and receive notification on events and career opportunities.

The NUS CAREER FAIR 2009 is not to be missed! Come down to MPSH 1, 2 and 4, 10am – 5pm, on 12 & 13 February 2009! We will see you there.

Best regards

The NUS Career Centre

This emailer is brought to you in conjunction with the NUS Career Centre Yusof Ishak House, Level 1, 31 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119078 :: 65-6516 1385(DID) : 65-6774 4463 (Fax) : careers@nus.edu.sg (E) : www.nus.edu.sg/osa/career (W)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In my opinion, overall, the tone of this email is appropriate and courteous. It uses many positive wordings and phrases to encourage the students to go for the event. For example, “It will definitely be worth your while to come and learn from these experts”.

Meanwhile, the ideas in this email are presented in a clear and concise way. The sentences are clear-cut and straight to the point. In addition, they are not too long for the readers to read and understand.

In addition, since this email is for a general readership, less rigid conventions of informal English are used. However, some of the ideas in this email are not expressed in complete sentences. This is probably done deliberately to attract the attention of the readers, as long sentences may cause them to miss the main idea of the topic.

Besides that, the ideas are linked in an orderly fashion, where the ideas under the same subtopic are relevant and could lead to the next idea to express the theme.

In the email, it mentioned about the many job opportunities that were opened to Student Ambassadors of previous career fairs in order to convince the students to register for it in the coming career fairs. However, it did not provide a specific figure as to the percentage of the students who had managed to get the job through the experience of becoming a Student Ambassador. Therefore, the reason may not be sufficient to convince all the students.

Overall, this email is thoroughly complete with adequate information presented in a clear and concise way for the readers to understand.

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict: Lives OR Leaves?

In reality, it is not uncommon that conflicts may occur at anytime, in any place and in between anyone. People may have different stands and opinions, resulting in the occurrence of disagreement and even argument. I was deeply affected as there was a real case happening to my father recently.

My grandmother has been bed-ridden for about 4 years. She was used to be a strong and tough person. For these two years, she had been checking in and out of the hospital in the coma situation, mainly due to low blood glucose level. However, every time she would be fine after staying in the hospital for a few days. Although she is bed-ridden, she still has a good memory and is normal psychologically.

Several months ago, she was again admitted to the hospital. The doctor decided to insert a feeding tube into her nose as she was too weak to chew the food properly by herself. Since that day, my grandmother could only be fed with liquid food or milk. Besides that, her voice became softer and weaker. Every time she talks, we could barely hear or understand her words and it often makes us feel sad.

Recently, my grandmother was sent to the hospital again. Her condition seems worse compared to last time. She does not open her eyes even when we call her and her face looks pale. Everyone has gotten tired of the false alarm. However, this time, it seems like she is going to cross over soon. My father is caught in the dilemma as my aunts are asking to take off the feeding tube and bring my grandmother home. This is because according to the Chinese tradition, it is inauspicious to let the dying person to cross over in the hospital. However, my father holds a different opinion. He thinks that my grandmother would get better if she stays for a few more days in the hospital under the care of the nurses. The doctor did not say anything. He only said we could bring her back if we want. Henceforth, my father is feeling pressurized. He is the second son of my grandmother, but as he is the one with the highest educational level, my aunts and uncles would always ask for his opinion.

In the viewpoint of my aunts, they wanted to bring my grandmother home as they think that she is going to cross over soon judging from her condition. Moreover, they feel sad to see her going through all the pain. On the other hand, my father feels that every life is precious, even if it may seem that the life of laying on the bed everyday is meaningless and miserable. Henceforth, my father is unwilling to let her go.

Sometimes, I would wonder what was my grandmother’s thought and feeling about this. What would you do if you were my father in this situation? Would you have let my aunts in and allow them to bring my grandmother home? Could we give up a life since it is meaningless to continue the journey?

Effective Communication Skills

Communication is a two-way interaction process involving two or more persons. In everyday life, people interact with each other more than frequent. Hence, developing effective communication skills is crucial in building the relationship within a certain community. Grasping with the effective communication skills, we not only could convey the messages correctly to another person, but could also enhance the responsiveness of that person as he or she could interpret the message being conveyed more accurately.


Since communication is a two-way process, both the speaker and the listener play a part in making the communication efficiently and successfully. As a speaker, we have to make sure that we do convey the message efficiently and appropriately in line with the situation and the persons we are communicating with. On the other hand, as a listener, we should try to overcome the barriers interrupting the communication process and listen attentively to the speaker to avoid any misunderstanding arisen from the misinterpretation.


In addition, communication skills may reflect our personalities to the person we first met especially during a job interview. Therefore, if we were wanted to leave a better impression of ourselves on another person, we have to make an effort to improve our communication skills. Besides that, it could make people feel closer to each other if both parts could communicate effectively, especially when someone is pouring out his or her feelings to you hoping that you could understand and give some comforts to make him or her feels better.


Last but not least, I feel that effective communication skills are not just the bridging component between two or more persons, but also a mean of way for people to express their thoughts and feelings appropriately.