Blogpost #5: Reflection on Oral Presentation

As a science student, I do not have that many opportunities to practise my oral skills in front of an audience as compared to students from other faculties (e.g. Business). Personally, I tend to get nervous right before speaking to an audience. Thus, I had mixed feelings when I knew our group was going to present on day 1.

I was excited to be able to practise public speaking and determined to make an effort to improve my oral skills after getting feedbacks for peer teaching from Ms Lim and my fellow classmates. On the other hand, I was also worried that I may not perform up to my expectations as I was not sufficiently prepared for the oral presentation (OP).

The day (and night) before the OP, our group was scrambling and rushing to piece up the final powerpoint slides for the OP. There would not have been a need to rush and work into the wee hours if a particular member had put in enough effort and collated our slides by the expected deadline. As a result, I had barely enough rest and energy to sustain me through the next day. In addition, my efforts to turn up early were foiled as there had been a traffic accident along the way to school. As a result, I did not have the chance to rehearse with my team mates. (It was not my day!)

 And indeed, the worst thing that could crop up during my presentation actually happened! Halfway through my OP, my mind had blanked out. I was feeling panicky and stuttering as I tried to recall what I wanted to say. During that awkward moment, I remembered what Ms Lim had told us: to relax, as panicking will only make things worse (something along that line). And luckily, as I tried to relax, my thoughts came back. And I also found out that by speaking louder, my confidence level is boosted. Hence, I was able to salvage the awkward moment a little. I see this as my strength as it is important that we pick ourselves up fast when we stumble in front of an audience; instead of having a period of awkward silence. Also, being able to gesture openly and naturally while presenting is another strength of mine. I find that gesturing helps me to relax, connect with the audience as well as to bring my point across.

Overall, although I had underperformed to my expectations, I feel that this OP has been a great learning experience.  I learnt that sufficient rehearsing and rest the night before an OP are extremely important. And so, I will definitely learn from my mistakes and not repeat them in my future OPs.

Blogpost #4: Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour

My best friend from secondary school has been studying in England for a couple of years. Occasionally, we will chat over the telephone and online, updating each other about recent happenings. Since both of us lived and grew up in Singapore, our lifestyle, actions, attitude towards certain issues are alike. Thus I could relate to most of the culture shock experiences she had.   

One of the more disturbing experiences she had was during a protestation (I forgot what the protestation was for). The event occurred when she was returning home from grocery shopping. Since protestations are banned in Singapore, it was her very first time witnessing it. In her mind she was feeling extremely scared as from what was often portrayed in the news, certain protestations can breakout into a riot if not properly carried out. But what was more traumatic than the protestation was the fact that the activists (both men and women) involved were completely unclad! She felt extremely embarrassed to watch the activists initially as she had never seen anyone naked before, let alone a huge group of fully unclothed people exhibiting themselves to the public.

With her, stood many local onlookers who watched the protesters with curiosity. Being foreign and unfamiliar to the place, she asked one of the locals of the situation. The local let out a giggle and explained that such public display was common. Most of such demonstrations were peaceful and do not involve violent fights. The purpose of such public display was to make their message/stand on certain issues heard by the people.   Sometimes, to garner more attention from the media, many of the protesters go naked.  

Although I did not have the opportunity of experiencing such events first hand, I could totally relate to how my friend felt of the situation. Singapore is quite a conservative country. To be displayed unclothed publicly is considered taboo and frowned upon by many here. What may be considered taboo here might not be considered the same elsewhere. Different cultures have different practices. In the above scenario, we might think  that activists are disgracing themselves in front of the public. However, protesting nude is a way for them to get as much attention across in order to spread a message on certain issues. Hence, it is important that we learn about different cultures before placing a judgemental view on them.

Blog post #3: Application Letter Critique

Job Advertisement from Health Sciences Authority Website:
http://www.hsa.gov.sg/publish/hsaportal/en/careers/job_families/science_officer.html
As accessed on 5 September 2010.

Position: Scientific Officer

Job Scope

You work in a laboratory providing forensic and other tests for criminal and drug investigations, food safety, industrial and environmental health, and infectious diseases in the blood.

You must have an analytical mind and be meticulous in recording your findings as they may be used in court. You may even be called on to testify as an expert witness. Your duties are to:

•Test and evaluate products, samples or devices

•Prepare reports based on the results of your analysis

•Present your research or latest findings at scientific conferences

Entry Requirements

Honours degree (Second Upper) or higher qualifications in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Biological Sciences or Biotechnology

Career Opportunities

You can rise through the ranks to become Senior Scientist, Consultant, Senior Consultant or Principal Scientist. You can also lead a team of Junior Scientists.

If you are interested in applying for this position, please send us your resume to hsa_hr@hsa.gov.sg

*************************************************************************************************************

Application Letter: 

Block 333 Yishun Street 22

#03-567

Singapore 760333

5 September 2010

Mr Henry Tan

Human Resource Manager

Health Sciences Authority (HSA

11 Outram Road

Singapore 169078

Dear Mr Tan,

I recently graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Life Sciences Degree (Specialisation in Biomedical Science) and minor in Forensic Science. I was searching for a job in the field of science and criminal justice and found that the position of Scientific Officer advertised in HSA’s website on 2nd July 2010 greatly interests me.

The NUS-HSA collaborated forensic minor programme has equipped me with fundamental principles and concepts of the application of science to forensic investigations and criminal justice. Along with the degree, I have become trained to be critical in my analysis and meticulous in research and laboratory work. Thus, I believe this makes me an excellent candidate for the position.

My non-academic activities have supplied me with many transferable skills and qualities that I am able to apply to the job:

• Taking care of pet dog and regular visits to the animal shelter has taught me responsibility and commitment. I have become a more observant and meticulous person as communicating with animals requires patience and alertness as we understand them through many verbal and non-verbal cues that unfamiliar people do not or misinterpret

• Representing my junior college in several events such as college ambassador to help promote my JC in my alma mater and presenting findings of aromatherapy in at MOE Excel Day have given me great exposure to giving open presentations. NUS’s Professional Communications module has also trained me to become a more proficient public speaker.

HSA is well recognized for its authoritative work in safeguarding the nation’s health and safety. I have a strong passion in forensic science. Together with my capabilities, I believe I make a good team player in your team of dedicated professionals from different scientific disciplines. My enclosed resume provides further details about my background.

I would welcome the opportunity of having a personal interview with you at your convenience. I will be calling up on 17 September 2010 to answer any questions that you may have and to inquire about the application outcome. Thank you for your consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Yeo Mei Ling Joanna

Blog Post #2: Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

A few years back, there had been a minor interpersonal conflict between my best friend and me. It was basically an issue of trust versus loyalty in a friendship.


The conflict involved 3 people: Cindy (my best friend), Sean (a close friend of Desiree) and me. Desiree, a common friend of ours, was not on talking terms with Cindy due to ‘BGR’ (Boy-girl relationship) problems was indirectly involved.

It all started a few days after Cindy realized that Desiree had been backstabbing her by telling tales about her to the guy, “M” that Cindy liked. After Cindy found out about it, both girls fell out with each other.

In an effort to help salvage the friendship, Sean approached for my help. I agreed and told him what I knew from Cindy’s point of view whilst Sean told me from Desiree’s. He also revealed to me that Desiree was interested in M too and made me promise not to tell anyone, especially Cindy. That struck me. That immediately justified Desiree’s actions.

My mind was in a whirl. Should I keep my promise or tell my best friend about it? Cindy and I were the best of friends. We never keep things from each other nor do anything that would jeopardize our friendship. I felt that that it was something that I ought to tell Cindy as that seems to be the root of their conflict. But, I did not want to go against my conscience.

After considering hard, I decided to tell Cindy. This was roughly what I said, “Someone told me something about Desiree but I can’t tell you who is it and what it’s about”. I know that that was ultimately foolish of me. The decision was either to tell or not to tell. Yet, the indecisive me chose to tell her parts of it and keep her in suspense. She was disappointed with me. And this led to the conflict.

The conflict later resolved after much explanation and apologies on my part.

Personally, I felt disappointed with myself for being indecisive. If I had not told her, the conflict would not have started at all.

Think about this. If you were in my shoes, would you be a man of your word and hide secrets from your best friend? Or, would you be a good friend and tell what she ought to know at the expense of breaking another’s trust in you?

Blog Post #1: Effective Communication *edited*

Why are effective communication skills important for me?

In my 21 years of life, there are a few bad events (in which I regret) that had occurred as a result of poor/ ineffective communication. Misunderstandings, misinterpretation, not being able to ‘listen’ or express myself effectively are the main reasons that had led to arguments and conflicts. Thus, I hope that with this module, I would be able to better express myself be it at an interpersonal level or to a wider range of audience that includes interviewers, colleagues, bosses, strangers etc.


Prior to this semester, I attended summer school at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Since it is an international summer school, the students that were enrolled in were of different nationalities, backgrounds and cultures. Although English was the common language of communication, our differences complicated things. For instance, even though we spoke the same language, the different accents and knowledge of the language made it slightly hard to communicate.

I must admit that this module was not ranked in the top few spots in the list of modules I plan to take this semester. Although there are many good recommendations for it, the seemingly heavy workload was daunting. But, after exploring the course website, I have come to know that skills being taught in the module such as building interpersonal communication skills, business letter/ email/ resume writing, job interview skills are those that I want to improve on as they are essential skills that would allow me to succeed futher in life.

With all that said, having effective communication skills are important as it helps us to get our ideas and intentions across better.