Tradition goes that long ago, in London, a man who was about to be executed would have to walk the length of a particular street to go from the prison to the gallows. As luck would have it, this street was where all the pubs and bars were located. The condemed man had but one privilege, that he could stop at any of the bars and ask for one last drink. They called this particular privilege "the one for the road." A saying that has persisted into modernity.
Its a morbid story to start with and yet it mirrors my situation remarkably well (not the death part of course). This is the last semester I have in NUS and I will be moving on to the next stage of my life. Its also interesting that a module like ES2007S would be the last gateway into my entry to the workforce.
I did this module because I wanted to accquire the skills necessary for the workforce. Engineering, while a tough course to navigate, is remarkable at sheltering its students from the truth of the real world. Resumes, cover letters and the nuances of the job application process were unknown to me (as those who read my various submissions will attest) and I reckoned I shouldn't be going in blind. Certainly, this module has taught me all the necessary skills for that aspect.
What I didnt expect to learn was the other soft skills. I was never afraid of public speaking (Because of my inherent shamelessness) but I learnt what people looked out for and what to expect and hence improved myself. I had written proposals for engin modules before but for the first time I learnt exactly what the marker or recipients of the proposals looked for. I had worked on projects before but I learnt how differently people think and how difficulties are overcome with as little animosity as possible (thanks Team Bookies!). And last but most importantly, I learned to accept criticism from peers and my tutors. I've always had a very bad temper and a decidedly defensive streak. But the real improvements that resulted from implementing suggestions certainly convinced me to listen and consider criticism before rejecting it outright.
Thank you to Ms Lim and all my classmates for the refreshing and decidedly unique experience in NUS. It's one hell of a way to end my NUS life.
Sunday 15 April 2012
Saturday 7 April 2012
On Oral Presentations and Oratory
Oral Presentations. As I wrote this blog post, I reflected on all the presentations I have given over my four years in NUS. Most were group based, and a few involved me facing the firing squad on my own. The things I learned from those and this proposal are skills that I feel, will stay with me throughout the course of my life.
The first thing that struck me about the oral presentation was the sheer amount of effort involved in preparation. We edited the slides and then assigned the work for sections of the slideshow to the individual members. Rehearsing the presentation however, showed us that certain sections needed to be ironed out. My part for the presentation seemed too short for the five minute allocation whilst there were others who had parts which were too long. Furthermore, the flow between the parts wasn't quite as smooth as we'd hoped for. So we spent the day ironing out the details.
I started my Monday not by arriving on time and rehearsing but rather caught in a traffic jam. It was particularly disconcerting but I was determined to make the most of it and read the script to myself. This might have been my first problem. As my part started for the presentation, I mentally checked off the list of presentation skills as I'd learnt from my peer teaching experience. My voice was loud, I smiled and I had sit down during the presentation so as to not distract the audience from my fellow presenters. The sheer amount of memory work though, meant that I was trying to remember the script throughout the first half of my presentation. I then ended up appearing nervous in the first part. Although I gradually warmed up, I reckoned the audience could sense my trepidation.
The question and answer session was easier for me. Since I had no script, I now answered based on the knowledge I had from the project. To be fair, the team had hypothesized some of the possible questions and that action came to good use.
Overall, I reckoned that it was a good presentation and more importantly, a good team effort.
The first thing that struck me about the oral presentation was the sheer amount of effort involved in preparation. We edited the slides and then assigned the work for sections of the slideshow to the individual members. Rehearsing the presentation however, showed us that certain sections needed to be ironed out. My part for the presentation seemed too short for the five minute allocation whilst there were others who had parts which were too long. Furthermore, the flow between the parts wasn't quite as smooth as we'd hoped for. So we spent the day ironing out the details.
I started my Monday not by arriving on time and rehearsing but rather caught in a traffic jam. It was particularly disconcerting but I was determined to make the most of it and read the script to myself. This might have been my first problem. As my part started for the presentation, I mentally checked off the list of presentation skills as I'd learnt from my peer teaching experience. My voice was loud, I smiled and I had sit down during the presentation so as to not distract the audience from my fellow presenters. The sheer amount of memory work though, meant that I was trying to remember the script throughout the first half of my presentation. I then ended up appearing nervous in the first part. Although I gradually warmed up, I reckoned the audience could sense my trepidation.
The question and answer session was easier for me. Since I had no script, I now answered based on the knowledge I had from the project. To be fair, the team had hypothesized some of the possible questions and that action came to good use.
Overall, I reckoned that it was a good presentation and more importantly, a good team effort.
Sunday 4 March 2012
Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour: On Personal Space
I was in Germany last summer, and as one might imagine, culture shock was an everyday event. In fact, it was the case that throughout my travels in Europe, I constantly encountered cultural mores that were alien to me even with my generally liberal upbringing. This is just one story out of the many I encountered.
I did my attachment at a small university/church town in the Northern part of the country called Muenster. Its traditionally a Catholic stronghold and by virtue of that, the population is regarded as more conservative. However, the "conservatism" in Europe is vastly different from the norm in our part of the world.
On the second day in Germany, we were introduced to some German students, presumably to be our unofficial guides in the country. We shook hands enthusiastically with the male students. It was easy to relate to them of course, based on the common interest we shared, soccer. Talk quickly turned to upcoming matches and promises to meet to watch the matches. It was refreshing to meet people who were so friendly upon the first meeting and also so much alike despite coming from so different a culture.
The idealism didn't quite last though. When the German girls came over to introduce themselves I extended my hand in friendship and smiled. It was the normal greeting method after all, wasn't it. To my surprise, she slapped my hand away and went in for a hug and a peck on the cheek. I was too shocked to react. I was meeting this person for the very first time! The same thing happened with the other girls.
One might think that I'd be glad to have received a hug. But most Singaporeans have a very different perception of what constitutes personal space. And accordingly, my first reaction was one of anger. I felt that this person had trespassed on what constituted my personal space, intentional or nay.
The longer I spent in Europe though, the more I realised that people in Europe defined personal space a little differently from the way that I did. In group projects, members (male or female) would lean in and put their arms around you while you were showing them something on the computer screen. I was terribly unnerved at first but later learned to accept it. In fact, I realised that the boundary by which I defined personal space had become a lot smaller when I returned to Singapore.
I have a foreign colleague in my FYP lab now and when he wants to talk to me he comes up to me a lot closer than one would expect from a working colleague. My lab partner even once jokingly remarked that the two of us should start dating. I might have been offended and pushed him away before my sojourn in Germany but my European travels taught me how to be a lot more flexible with other people's customs. Surprisingly too, it changed my outlook of other people and how much personal space was really necessary for an individual.
I did my attachment at a small university/church town in the Northern part of the country called Muenster. Its traditionally a Catholic stronghold and by virtue of that, the population is regarded as more conservative. However, the "conservatism" in Europe is vastly different from the norm in our part of the world.
On the second day in Germany, we were introduced to some German students, presumably to be our unofficial guides in the country. We shook hands enthusiastically with the male students. It was easy to relate to them of course, based on the common interest we shared, soccer. Talk quickly turned to upcoming matches and promises to meet to watch the matches. It was refreshing to meet people who were so friendly upon the first meeting and also so much alike despite coming from so different a culture.
The idealism didn't quite last though. When the German girls came over to introduce themselves I extended my hand in friendship and smiled. It was the normal greeting method after all, wasn't it. To my surprise, she slapped my hand away and went in for a hug and a peck on the cheek. I was too shocked to react. I was meeting this person for the very first time! The same thing happened with the other girls.
One might think that I'd be glad to have received a hug. But most Singaporeans have a very different perception of what constitutes personal space. And accordingly, my first reaction was one of anger. I felt that this person had trespassed on what constituted my personal space, intentional or nay.
The longer I spent in Europe though, the more I realised that people in Europe defined personal space a little differently from the way that I did. In group projects, members (male or female) would lean in and put their arms around you while you were showing them something on the computer screen. I was terribly unnerved at first but later learned to accept it. In fact, I realised that the boundary by which I defined personal space had become a lot smaller when I returned to Singapore.
I have a foreign colleague in my FYP lab now and when he wants to talk to me he comes up to me a lot closer than one would expect from a working colleague. My lab partner even once jokingly remarked that the two of us should start dating. I might have been offended and pushed him away before my sojourn in Germany but my European travels taught me how to be a lot more flexible with other people's customs. Surprisingly too, it changed my outlook of other people and how much personal space was really necessary for an individual.
Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour
I spent last summer in Germany in a small town in the northern part of the country. In this town called Muenster, and throughout the rest of my travels in Eastern Europe, I experienced so many culture shocks I don't think a single blog post would be sufficient to describe them all. Also, most were rather banal or mundane. However some cases were epic tales worthy of a retelling. This is but one of them.
At the end of the first two weeks of intensive German lessons, we were allowed to travel around. I planned to meet some friends in Munich and then travel eastwards into the Czech Republic. A couple of difficulties presented themselves however.
1. My other friends were headed westwards into France so I was travelling alone for this leg of the journey
2. The journey to Munich from Muenster was a grueling 8 hour train ride
3. The only train ticket available was through the night
Nevertheless I figured worse things had already happened to me in Europe up to this point (Come see me for the salacious details.) and this might be tamer than those.
The compartment I boarded was occupied by 2 Caribbean men and a German girl. The men were playing their music on their cellphones but used the speakers. German railways require silence in all seating compartments and the German girl was most definitely annoyed. She immediately told the men to turn off their radios and the men complied. One of them winked at me and asked if all German women were alike. I held my laughter in check of course. And then explained to them that the carriage was supposed to be silent. The men nodded and then apologised to the woman and called her over to their seats asking if she wanted to listen to a bit of their m
At the end of the first two weeks of intensive German lessons, we were allowed to travel around. I planned to meet some friends in Munich and then travel eastwards into the Czech Republic. A couple of difficulties presented themselves however.
1. My other friends were headed westwards into France so I was travelling alone for this leg of the journey
2. The journey to Munich from Muenster was a grueling 8 hour train ride
3. The only train ticket available was through the night
Nevertheless I figured worse things had already happened to me in Europe up to this point (Come see me for the salacious details.) and this might be tamer than those.
The compartment I boarded was occupied by 2 Caribbean men and a German girl. The men were playing their music on their cellphones but used the speakers. German railways require silence in all seating compartments and the German girl was most definitely annoyed. She immediately told the men to turn off their radios and the men complied. One of them winked at me and asked if all German women were alike. I held my laughter in check of course. And then explained to them that the carriage was supposed to be silent. The men nodded and then apologised to the woman and called her over to their seats asking if she wanted to listen to a bit of their m
Sunday 12 February 2012
Application Letter and Job Ad
Ok so here's my application letter. Just rip into it if you have to. And anyone who's familiar with Blogger, help me out with the format, yeah? Its driving me crazy!
Application Letter:
Application Letter:
32 Verde Crescent
Singapore 688387
February 7, 2012
Professor Jackie Yi-Ru Ying
Executive Director
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
31 Biopolis Way
The Nanos, #04-01
Singapore 138669
Executive Director
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
31 Biopolis Way
The Nanos, #04-01
Singapore 138669
Dear Professor Jackie:
I have noted with interest your research job opening in the Biodevices and Diagnostics division. I believe that with my experience in doing cancer biology laboratory work and my work in drug resistance would make me the ideal candidate for the position of Lab Officer (Cancer Biology) in the Biodevices and Diagnostics division of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN)
My degree in Bioengineering would make me an excellent fit for the position as I will be able to provide both an engineering perspective as well as conventional biological lab research work. Furthermore, I am familiar with many of the common labratory diagnostic procedures such as Reverse Transcriptase RT-PCR, Immunohistochemistry, Hematoxylin and Eosin staining and general cell culture protocol. My experience with research also includes the field of fluidics and pressurised systems. I participated in a Undergraduate Research Opportunities Project (UROP) based on pressurised bio mimetic fluidics for the period of a year.
My Final Year Project (FYP) was also based on the culturing of osteosarcoma cancer cell lines in a bioreactor. Finally, my FYP involved the testing of anti-cancer drugs on cancer cells grown in the bioreactor. These projects have given me a good grounding in microbiology and cancer biology. These would be aligned with IBN's current Cancer Diagnosis and Cancer marker capture work.
These experiences and skills would, I believe, make me a suitable candidate for this position.I feel that my qualities of diligence and meticulousness with regards to my assigned work (as evinced by my references), would also be a great asset to IBN's Biodevices and Diagnostics division.
Enclosed is a resume outlining my qualifications and references. I look forward to meeting you in order to further discuss the position and my qualifications. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours Sincerely,
Govin Dass Naidu
If you have a passion for innovation and the desire to be at the forefront of scientific research, send or email your curriculum vitae to the following address. Please include a cover letter and three references.
Professor Jackie Yi-Ru Ying
Executive Director
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
31 Biopolis Way
The Nanos, #04-01
Singapore 138669
Please send your CV to recruit@ibn.a-star.edu.sg
Executive Director
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
31 Biopolis Way
The Nanos, #04-01
Singapore 138669
Please send your CV to recruit@ibn.a-star.edu.sg
Research Positions
- Biodevices and Diagnostics
- Cell and Tissue Engineering
- Pharmaceuticals Synthesis and Green Chemistry
Biodevices and Diagnostics
Lab Officer/Senior Lab Officer (Cancer Biology)Reference No. IBN030112/R/CB/MH
Responsibilities
- Our research focuses on systems medicine from multiple perspectives, including biological (genetic, molecular, microbiologic and metabolic), clinical and engineering views. The laboratory environment is focused on translational research and accompanying development of practical tools and technologies with immediate clinical and industrial benefit.
- The primary job scope for this position will focus on evaluating drug resistance in both in vitro and in vivo cancer and bacterial infection models.
Requirements
- Highly motivated candidates with at least an Honors or equivalent degree in Biology/ Engineering Chemistry or related field.
- Practical experience in laboratory animal work, bacterial and viral microbiology would be an advantage.
Friday 3 February 2012
Interpersonal Conflicts
Conflict. Its inevitable in the realm of interpersonal relationships. After all, the only thing everyone can agree upon is that when there is an opinion, someone will disagree with it. Human nature, or specifically the core individualism within us, often gives us different perspectives on the same issue. There's nothing wrong with this, of course. The various views, when considered on the merit of their substantiations help provide a plethora of perspectives on an issue and therefore help in decision making processes. This is especially useful in organisations which require decisions to be made as problems which had not been hitherto considered, might be brought to attention. The main problem with interpersonal conflict however, is the human habit of weaving emotion into perspective. This often degrades the ability of people to see the merits of the argument of others.
I served my two years of national service in the army. And as many of the readers who served similarly will attest, the army is a hotbed of interpersonal conflict. I served as a sergeant and in that capacity was often invited to sit in at meetings, so as to act as a proxy for my men. In this particular case, a person of higher rank than me made a suggestion regarding a routine operating procedure. The senior management (officers and their ilk) were suitably impressed with the suggestion. It saved on manpower, money and other resources which the procedure required. They began, in their enthusiasm, to press for this modification to be submitted to the headquarters(HQ). In the army, you see, one had to obtain approval to change procedure. The HQ was required to approve the change and and then allow it to to be included in the Standard Operating Procedure. But my fellow sergeants and I saw a problem with the proposal immediately, a problem that could compromise the safety of our men. We spoke up suggesting that perhaps the matter should be examined fully in order to assess the risk to the men using it. Instead of engaging in discussion as to how this might be the case, we were told that we were trying to be lazy and didn't want to teach the procedure to our men. We explained our stance but were instead told that our objections were far too vociferous and that they bordered on insubordination. I was silently fuming that day when I went home.
A week later, HQ identified the problems to safety regarding the new procedure and in no uncertain terms, told my unit to revert to the original, safer procedure. The sergeants were vindicated but it came at a price of the senior men thinking that we "were out to get them". The working relationship rapidly soured.
In my opinion the problem could have solved simply by considering the viewpoints. After all, workplace seniority does not mean that they had examined all possible consequences before proposing a solution. While I was glad that none of my men was injured by implementing the flawed procedure, it also meant that it would be harder to get things approved by senior personnel in the unit. The consequences of interpersonal conflict would then rely on the objectivity of both parties in assessing each other's views.
I served my two years of national service in the army. And as many of the readers who served similarly will attest, the army is a hotbed of interpersonal conflict. I served as a sergeant and in that capacity was often invited to sit in at meetings, so as to act as a proxy for my men. In this particular case, a person of higher rank than me made a suggestion regarding a routine operating procedure. The senior management (officers and their ilk) were suitably impressed with the suggestion. It saved on manpower, money and other resources which the procedure required. They began, in their enthusiasm, to press for this modification to be submitted to the headquarters(HQ). In the army, you see, one had to obtain approval to change procedure. The HQ was required to approve the change and and then allow it to to be included in the Standard Operating Procedure. But my fellow sergeants and I saw a problem with the proposal immediately, a problem that could compromise the safety of our men. We spoke up suggesting that perhaps the matter should be examined fully in order to assess the risk to the men using it. Instead of engaging in discussion as to how this might be the case, we were told that we were trying to be lazy and didn't want to teach the procedure to our men. We explained our stance but were instead told that our objections were far too vociferous and that they bordered on insubordination. I was silently fuming that day when I went home.
A week later, HQ identified the problems to safety regarding the new procedure and in no uncertain terms, told my unit to revert to the original, safer procedure. The sergeants were vindicated but it came at a price of the senior men thinking that we "were out to get them". The working relationship rapidly soured.
In my opinion the problem could have solved simply by considering the viewpoints. After all, workplace seniority does not mean that they had examined all possible consequences before proposing a solution. While I was glad that none of my men was injured by implementing the flawed procedure, it also meant that it would be harder to get things approved by senior personnel in the unit. The consequences of interpersonal conflict would then rely on the objectivity of both parties in assessing each other's views.
Sunday 22 January 2012
The Importance of Effective Communication
One cannot overemphasize the importance of effective
communication, however clichéd it might sound. Human beings are, after all,
social creatures and we cannot discount the sheer magnitude of interactions we
have with family, friends and even strangers. Furthermore, we come to realise that these interactions
throughout the course of our lives go on to define or even dictate the rest of
our lives.
I had never considered this in my youth, of course. What
need did one have for communication in primary school? We answered teacher's
questions, we answered parents' questions and communicated with each other via
a weird "single-word question," type language. For an instance,
"Let's go get some food from the canteen. " was transliterated into
"Food?" and so on. My parents still joke that they feared throughout
my primary school years that my speech would deteriorate into a series of
primitive grunts and clicks. But in those days, we didn't have a need for
sentence construction let alone the elimination of ambiguity in what we meant.
Me and my friends were on what is colloquially termed "the same
frequency".
My transit to secondary school however, changed all that
rapidly. My school emphasized the importance of effective communication and
prized oratorical skills as well as the ability to interact with our peers and
teachers in a clear, concise and unambiguous fashion. I had difficulty adapting
of course, coming from my days of barely comprehensible language. But the
school forced us via presentations, formal events and other meet and greet
sessions. We were expected to hold our own in conversations among not only
ourselves but with adults regarding any topic. It is said that on the steepest
learning curve, one acquires the most knowledge (voluntarily or not) and at
this stage of my life the adage held true. More than that though, was the
development of confidence in oneself.
As I moved through the various stages of academia I began to
comprehend the advantages of possessing effective communication. Those among my
peers who were able to confidently converse with others or present content in
front of large crowds began to stand out. Furthermore the confidence we had
gained allowed us to converse with people from any sort of background and
comprehend exactly what their motivations were. We made friends easily, mingled
in crowds easily and were able to interact with people in a satisfactory
fashion. CCA's and other social interaction based activities were made easier
on account of the skill we gain. Networking and other skill sets we acquired
allowed us to participate in things we would have never dreamed of considering.
I have seen first-hand the importance of effective
communication and world of opportunities it opened up was nothing to scoff at.
It is for this reason alone, more than any form of academic instruction that I
am forever grateful to my secondary school. The motto for Anglo-Chinese School
(Independent) [ACS(I)] was "The Best is yet to Be." I hope sincerely
that this will hold true in terms of my skill and knowledge regarding effective
communication.
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