Any more small classes?

I was just thinking about the advantage of small classes over lectures, where I get to interact with people of different faculties and naitonalities. I've taken WP2201A Expository Writing in Language Death, SP1202 Communicating with the Academy and ES2007S Professional Communication, all have 15-16 people per class.

Now I wonder, how many other modules in NUS has small classes for teaching communication and essay writing? I've always taken one essay writing module every semester, I'm afraid of breaking that pattern in Semester 2 of AY2010/2011. Studying mathematics without changing subjects is something I know I won't be able to bear.

I'll be sourcing for essay writing modules in School of Design & Environment in December, to hope I can find light at the end of the dark tunnel...

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From Subang Jaya

I arrived in Subang airport on 2pm, 13 November 2010. Being at home gives me the chance to catch up on my reading while I prepare for my final examinations.

I just found out Singapore was an al-Qaeda target in 2002, 7 bomb trucks were supposed to be deployed to kill thousands of people near places frequented by Americans, Britons and Australians, other than their embassies. After reading Jane Corbin's al-Qaeda, I pondered about a career in journalism. This is one possible career path I would definitely consider in the future, investigating and putting facts together for a book.

Another book I've finished reading is Ken Robinson's The Element. One of the points that caught my attention was the sign that someone is in his/her Element, is that time will fly when he/she engages in his/her passion. I'll be testing whether I like investigating and putting facts together when I start writing about how entrepreneurs in India can help to combat climate change.

But first, I need to revise Introduction to Geometry. (I can't help but notice that any modules in NUS with the word introductory seem like booby traps, the content will get more difficult after Week 6)

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Please Remember

Back in September 2005, 4 of my friends and I were dining at the USJ 9 Shakey’s Pizza branch. We talked about their newly formed band, and they were short of one vocalist; he had to drop out because of a heated argument with the others. They had two performances in two months, and they needed a vocalist quite urgently. I auditioned for the band the next day, although I had no musical background, and they told me that I was a baritone tenor. The practice sessions after that were downright rigorous. Now I would occasionally look back after my climb, and notice how much we’ve grown together after five years. Five of us are pursuing our degrees in Malaysia, me in Singapore, one in the United Kingdom, and another is Australia.

Likewise with this module, the interactions and group work resulted in new friendships being formed. I’ve learned that my resume (pre-Brad) was a mess. Other than that, I’ve also found out that “homely” is offensive. The blogging showed me that I have an interest in writing. The learning experience would’ve been ideal if stretched over 2 semesters, and better if there’s no bell curve to worry about. I’ve also had wonderful groupmates to work with; Nanhai and Xing Quan for the peer teaching, Guo Chen, Xiaoshi and Sylvester for the proposal and oral presentation. I’m also grateful to have Yuen May, Billet, Alicia, Shivam, Wenlue, Alvin, Elgin, Yanling, Vinod and Xi Xi as classmates. There will be a day when I’ll look back and reminisce about the good times we shared together.

Leann Rimes - Please Remember

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EDITED: STOP - Skywalk and Tunnel Oral Presentation

Preparation

Before STOP, we spent the time planning on how to present our research data and proposal. Our initial plan was to use PowerPoint slides, but we switched to Prezi to better organise the points. The meetings were usually after lessons and on weekends at the Science Library Seminar Room and tutorial room at FoE. They were spent redesigning and improving our Prezi, delegating tasks (such as scouting for future actors and actresses, and filming them) and rehearsing our lines.

Delivery

I could have improved my delivery by elaborating more about the tunnel and skywalk structure. I should have practised my points more, because I would have the tendency to forget. In this case, it was the structure. Like Sylvester, I also felt that our approach is unique and fresh (the sound problem was not part of the presentation).

Use of slideware

The switch to Prezi was motivated by 2 main reasons, the ability to change views on one integrated canvass and to post YouTube videos. Trying out Prezi for the first time allowed me to explore uncharted waters. Now I know the advantages of using Prezi, but this comes at a price of it dominating the presentation. I now wonder how I would have performed if I stuck to the PowerPoint slides. I’m reminded of the Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken.

Other comments

I believe that our proposal was unique, and was not expected by any of my friends. Some of the initial suggestions about the proposal topic included having more study tables and power sockets on campus, and improving traffic congestion on campus by changing the bus routes. We decided to go one step further, hence the skywalk and underground tunnel. This taught me one valuable lesson; any future presentations or essays needs to have a creative idea to make it interesting. (Without neglecting delivery.)

To Xiaoshi, Sylvester and Guo Chen; I am very grateful to have all of you as teammates. Working with all of you showed me what we can do when we get creative and cooperate. The journey, although with its ups and downs, was enjoyable, and I wish that we can have a chance to work as a team again in other modules. As pointed out by Rascal Flatts, Life is a Highway!

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Updates

New entry below, blog design changed. Enjoy the pictures!

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Fall

This is a story about bad luck (and possibly old infrastructure).

I was catching up on the by-election news in Sabah, Malaysia, on 28 October, when I found out that the candidate from the opposition (Parti Keadilan Rakyat - People's Justice Party) fell into the sea because of a rickety bridge. Ansari Abdullah, the opposition candidate was there to meet the local community. The next day, he went to another village. Little did I expect, in 48 hours, he fell into the sea - again, for the same reason.

Fortunately, no one was injured, save for a few minor bruises.

Links below:

First time: (http://brudirect.com/index.php/The-Daily-Express/unsafe-jetty-causes-pkrs-ansari-to-fall-into-sea.html)

Second time:(http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/10/30/galas/7332553&sec=galas)

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EDITED: ≠ Accents

During one of my lecture breaks a few weeks ago, I met one of my closest friends for lunch at the Frontier. We talked about our modules for this semester and his plans for the student exchange programme. One of the modules he is currently taking is the same one I took in the previous semester. He mentioned that the lecturer’s accent made the lesson difficult to understand. Upon learning the lecturer’s name, I told him that I understood his difficulty, as he was previously a tutor in my freshman year. The lecturer is an expert in algebraic geometry, which means he definitely knows what he’s teaching in that module. His comment reminded me of one of my experiences with foreign nationals in university.

During my first few days of my freshman year, I befriended a student from China. We talked while waiting for the A2 bus opposite LT27. It was her first year, when she spoke to me, I noticed her English accent was ... different (No offense intended). During our conversation, I would sometimes ask her to repeat her sentence, as her heavily accented English was difficult to understand. She guessed that I had trouble understanding her, she asked "Is my English hard to understand?" I was tempted to give the politically right answer, but I decided to be honest and at the same time, didn't want to offend her. I told her that her English was difficult to understand, because this was the first time I heard her accent. I continued that to her my Mandarin would be weird to her because of my accent. My first language isn't Mandarin, nor it is my second. When I spoke Mandarin, she laughed at me, saying my Mandarin was horrible. I took it lightly as I knew I needed to polish my Mandarin, which I have postponed for over a decade now.

Foreigners whose first language isn't English may have different accents, but to them I may sound different. Rather than avoid foreign nationals, a better solution for me is to be patient when having conversations with people of different nationalities.

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