Post #6 - Biodata

I am currently a third year undergraduate in the National University of Singapore (NUS). I have previously graduated from CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School (SNGS) and National Junior College (NJC).

My academic interest is chemistry, particularly organic and inorganic chemistry. I aspire to contribute to the field of medicinal chemistry, either through discovering new or improving existing drugs or regulating the drugs used in Singapore.

During my studies in NUS, I was given the opportunity to go for a summer exchange program to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). There, I learnt to be more independent, out-spoken and gained more in terms of cultural awareness by interacting with the locals and fellow exchange students. I also did an attachment during the holidays at the end of my second year where I learnt more about research and the chemical industry.

Having joined the Interact Club in SNGS, I found volunteering and helping others fulfilling and meaningful. So I carried on with this extra-curricular activity in NJC. Such voluntary work has taught me to be more patient, encouraging and understanding towards others.

I enjoy sports like table-tennis and was part of the table-tennis team in SNGS. The long and frequent training schedules have allowed me to manage my time well by balancing training with studies. Also in my free time, I like jogging, reading and playing the piano.

Post #5 - Inter-generation Communication

It is common to find different generations living together. Though this may seem good, no doubt clashes due to miscommunication and conflicts over different thinking is likely to occur.

For example, the older generation (grandparents) are not English educated so they are unable to converse in or comprehend English when English has become the common language amongst young people these days. Instead they are more comfortable with dialect that the younger generation is less familiar with. Hence there have been reports about the elderly feeling left out due to the lack of communication between generations.

In addition, there are also conflicts between the older and younger generation’s perception of things. On one hand, my grandmother tends to favor the boys over girls, my parents, on the other hand do not have such favoritism. There have been a few occasions where my parents told my grandmother off for showing favoritism. My grandmother despite being told off a couple of times still thinks she has not done anything wrong. Resulting in unhappiness among both parties.

I feel that for different generations to live together harmoniously, everyone should try to understand the reason behind the other party’s behavior. However I feel that the younger generation should play a bigger role in trying to adapt to the elderly to reduce communication problems and conflicts.

What do you think of conflicts between generations? What else can be done to reduce communication problems or conflicts between generations?

Post #4 - Evaluating Intercultural Behavior

During my trip to Japan last year, as our flight landed earlier than scheduled, we arrived at the hotel about 45 minutes before the standard check-in time. We thought we would be able to check-in earlier so that we can leave our luggage and valuables in our rooms before going out for lunch. However, they refused to allow us to check-in earlier despite the fact that our rooms were ready. The service staff mentioned that check-ins can only be done after the stipulated time and not anytime earlier than that, not even a few minutes before that.

In another similar situation in Japan, we had a dinner reservations at a restaurant at 7 pm. However due to the smooth traffic, we were 20 minutes early. Although our table was available and the restaurant was already opened for dinner, the manager told us to wait and only led us to our table when it was 7pm. This is unlike my experience in Singapore, where being slightly early, we were still be seated. Or even if we were slightly late, the staff still held our tables for awhile.

From these two incidences, I felt that the Japanese follow rules and schedules very strictly. Sometimes, it may seem that they lack flexibility. On the other hand, it is probably good because it means that they will try their best to be punctual for meetings.