Sunday, October 26, 2008

About me...

I am Joanna, currently in third year in NUS, majoring in Life Sciences with concentration in Biomedical Sciences. I am interested in the workings of biology. Essentially life sciences is the study of life, the very foundation of human existence. Hopefully, my academic emphasis will shed some light on the many mysteries surrounding of the human anatomy and also the processes that kept us alive.

On the other hand, Singapore is remaking herself into a biomedical hub and I believe that my education will better equip myself to be part of the remaking process in the rapidly expanding biomedical industry.

I was an active member of the Taekwondo Club during my JC days. During my stint in JC, I have obtained the grade of 1st Dan and have represented the college for national competitions. My keen interest in the sports have continued on as I have occasionally assisted in conducting Taekwondo lessons for schooling children in community centres. This sport is not only physically demanding but also mentally challenging, and most importantly, it instills in me the personal quality of discipline. Acquiring this quality has been very helpful in many aspects of my life. My other hobby includes playing volleyball, reading and traveling.

posted by Joanna @ 9:13 AM 4 Comments

Friday, October 17, 2008

Reflections....

Our research project has been going on for about a month. This project mainly entails a written report and a final presentation, both of these will hone our communication skills and they will probably be a yard stick to see how much we have learnt about professional communication thus far. There are several things which I have gained an insight on from this project, and here on this post, I would like to share them with my readers.

The project started with the need for the group members to brainstorm for possible suggestions and ideas to be researched on, and here I felt that it was really a challenge to convince other people (and hence my group mates), that my proposal was compelling and reasonable. Because of the fact that many proposed idea carries with it, its own set of problems and obstacles, and only if the idea is feasible would it be suitable to be further worked upon. Hence, it is crucial that we must be realistic about our own proposition.

This problem has further implications which I think that I should be aware of. Further on, projects and proposals would once again be part and parcel of my working life. Therefore, from this episode, I felt that I should be more prudent in crafting my suggestions. Appropriate verbal communication skills should be applied as necessary to frame my arguments as succinctly and logically as possible and also to be able to convey my suggestions in a diplomatic manner without compromising on my firm stance. I acknowledge this problem to be my most significant learning experience so far.

Also while the group convenes on our series of meeting to firm out the written report, it is comforting to know that our group have been able to operate efficiently where everyone in the group discharges their role and responsibilities faithfully. All of us have busy academic schedules and yet it is still possible to achieve individual consistency in our work effort. Hence, I think in a way, this is really a commendable and positive lesson to be drawn from the project. This could be due to the fact that everyone in the group has managed to form interpersonal bonds well and this has helped the group to settle down quickly and move in a concerted manner. These interpersonal bonds have definitely improve teamwork greatly and therefore it shows to me, the importance of the need to first work up interpersonal bonds with each of the team mates and from there the foundation of teamwork is laid.

Here, I would like to thank my team mates, Ruisheng and Stephany for giving me great support throughout the whole stint. Let’s work hard for the presentation as well. And also, many thanks to our tutor, Ms Happy Goh, for her continued guidance.

Finally, to end my post, maybe allow me to interpret what being a team means. It means
“Together Everyone Achieve More”.

posted by Joanna @ 11:57 PM 2 Comments