#6 Biodata

I am currently a Year 2 undergraduate in NUS, reading Chemistry. After my 'A' levels, I decided on pursuing a career in teaching and accepted a Teaching Award from MOE in 2007. Teaching is a suitable career for me because I am not satisfied with desk-confined jobs requring long hours in front of a computer. I am a sociable person who enjoys interacting with people. Being able to share my knowledge and experiences gives me much satisfaction. I am also an active individual with strong interests in sports and in picking up new things. Working in a dynamic environment such as in an educational institution will allow me to be constantly engaged in new challenges and activities.

During pre-university education, I was given opportunities to excel in leadership and in team play. Being team captain in my CCA has trained me to be a more decisive, motivating and sensitive person. My involvement in school projects, such as 'Kids Against Cancer' in collaboration with National Cancer Centre, gave me much insights and helped me develop IT skills in setting up a website to educate young children about cancer.

I began taking up temporary jobs during school vacations at 15 to gain work experience. Working in a myriad of different environments in companies such as MediaCorp Studios Pte Ltd, Singapore General Hospital and Crescent Girls' School has given me invaluable learning experiences. These exposures have helped me develop good administration and interpersonal skills, as well as allowed me to explore the different realms of life.

Here, I would like to share a favourite quote of mine:

"If you haven't got what you love, learn to love what you've got." -Anon.

#5 Reflecting on the Research Project Experience

Doing a research project on a Powernap House wasn't easy.

It constantly made me wish, during those sleepy morning lectures, that they really exist.

Pleasant!

The research project was a pleasant experience. For one, my project mates and I were all very cooperative team players, each completing our assigned parts on time. There were no complains, no underground feuds, and this made our progress really smooth.

During project discussions, I saw how each of us tried to bring our own ideas across, and how we had to convince one another. There were times we could not fully agree, and there was a need to change an approach in explaining our points so that the picture becomes clearer. Such situations trained my communication skills, constantly allowing me to phrase and rephrase my sentences, and use the more suitable words that can help bring my thoughts across.

Definitely, after all the project meetings, email correspondences, sms, constant interaction and nights spent on report-writing, we became more than just project mates.

We became friends!

If there were no projects, I guess we would not have managed to build a closer relationship. There were also times we acknowledged each others' efforts through words of appreciation such as "Good job, it was really well done". These words, though simple, really made a difference in that it gave the encouragement and motivation we really needed.

For the upcoming Oral Presentation, I believe confidence and sufficient preparation are very important. An Oral Presentation is equivalent to communicating effectively with the audience. When we are standing in front, the nonverbal cues that we display are very important. Eye contact with everyone in the audience is especially important to allow them to feel engaged, and we should not speak specifically only to the lecturers.

Finally, thanks to the ES2007S report, I'm now confidently capable of page-numbering a multi-sectioned document.