Hi friends,
Thanks again for your kind attention and active participation during my team's (Guo Chen, myself, Xiaoshi & Yanling) presentation on Preparing for and Performing at Interviews. We hope you enjoyed it and are able to take something useful out of it. Please feel free to drop your comments here on our strengths, weaknesses and possible areas of improvement.
Appreciate you guys taking the time off in giving your insights. I've also attached Xixi's and Nanhai's interview videos which unfortunately couldn't be viewed in class. Enjoy!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Mark of Manhood
The fine line that demarcates boy from man – at which point in life did I actually cross over without looking back? Was it the moment when I changed from shorts to trousers during early schooling days or my virgin facial shave? Could it have been the celebration of turning legal by purchasing liquor or the immense satisfaction at my immunity to viewer discretion regulations? Maybe the wait is on till my first official pay check or the keys to my own house? Endless theories which are bound to strike a familiar chord with most. Or so I thought.
Recently, I chanced upon a rather unsettling documentary about the bullet ant ritual. Bullet ants, also known as ‘paraponera’, originate from the dense jungles of South America and are not your average everyday ants. Their sting is alleged to be similar to a bullet wound and is rated number one by many official pain indexes. A tribe called Satere-Mawe in Brazil captures and drugs these ants before placing them stinger first into gloves. The young men of the tribe must then don these gloves and endure the pain for 10 minutes. Not once but 20 times and without screaming. This traditionally momentous event marks the rite of passage to manhood.
Upon viewing, I was swept over by a plethora of emotions; spellbinding intrigue initially transformed into aversion and disgust towards the ritual procedures before an overwhelming sense of pity mixed with admiration for the young men prevailed. I was astounded at the primitive nature of declaring manhood. In Singapore, National Service (NS) is generally regarded by local culture as the making of a man. However any agony felt in Tekong must surely pale in comparison to that experienced in Amazon by the young guns of the Satere-Mawe. It set me thinking though. Judging one’s maturity indisputably has to go far beyond a physical test of character and endurance. Economic maturity to hold an adult job and handle money, ethical maturity to make responsible decisions and emotional maturity to understand and relate to others are other determinants as well.
There’s also the issue of discrimination leveled at the few boys who are deemed not ‘man’ enough to undertake this ritual. Outcasted from the society at such a tender age, they grow older, losing their self respect and dignity in the process. In extreme cases, death from brutal pain results which leaves one to ponder - is it really worth for the parents’ ordeal in raising the kid for years to be reduced to such a cataclysmic loss by a mere ritual?
Gazing from a cross cultural lens, the tribe would most likely be amazed at the non-existence of such traditions and a comparatively seamless transition to adulthood in our modern society. They might argue we are far from ‘real’ men and the extravagant, brash lives of many teens nowadays do seem to support their case. ‘No pain, no gain’ , they say which makes one reflect if as indeed we take for granted the many luxuries afforded to us.
As such, I dream of visiting this tribe in a not too distant future. Inter-cultural experiences are best encountered firsthand and I’ll reserve any further judgment till after. After all, the ensuing wave of uncontrollable tears from the bullet ants’ bites may just be that fine line I was desperately seeking for.
P.S. I've attached the video for a more complete picture and a better visual experience. Viewer discretion is advised :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGIZ-zUvotM
P.S. I've attached the video for a more complete picture and a better visual experience. Viewer discretion is advised :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGIZ-zUvotM
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Application Letter for attachment at IME - Draft 1
Internship Advertisement (online)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attachment Opportunities in IME
As part of our constant efforts to develop R&D talents for Singapore's electronics industry, we have been actively offering student attachment programmes to tertiary students. IME works closely with the local universities, polytechnics, junior colleges and secondary schools for student attachment opportunities. We support various types of student attachment programmes such as industrial attachments, vacation internship programmes, and final year project attachments.
For enquiries, please email us at uni-collaboration@ime.a-star.edu.sg.
Student who are in secondary schools or junior colleges, please refer to Youth Science Programme (YSP).
Other students who are interested to participate in our student attachments, please email, fax or send your resume, together with supporting documents (e.g. educational certificates and transcripts)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vinod Kumar
Block XXX, Rocky Road, #67-89
Singapore 111213
H/P : 91234567
E-mail : YYY@gmail.com
August 31, 2010
HR Department
Institute of Microelectronics
11 Science Park Road, Singapore Science Park II
Singapore 117685
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing in to express my interest for an attachment stint in the Institute of Microelectronics. I came to know about the internship position through a senior who has had prior working experience in your company and his positive feedback compelled me to apply immediately.
This being the penultimate year of my engineering (mechanical) bachelor degree in the National University of Singapore(NUS), I wish to put to practise the knowledge acquired thus far in a worksite setting. A keen interest in the mechatronics sector is further reason for me to pursue a spot in the various projects you have on offer such as those involving semiconductors and nano-electronics. I am however most inclined towards the Sensor and Actuator Microsystems(SAM) project on the evidence of better grades in the fundamental modules encompassing that area, for instance, feedback control systems. Being a highly hands-on project, the experience of labwork in linear circuits and frequency response has most certainly equipped me sufficiently in terms of familiarity with technical equipments.
Given an opportunity, I am confident I have the necessary skills to make a value-added contribution to the company. Self-motivation, hardworking ethic and knowledge of team dynamics have been inculcated through the meeting of crucial deadlines for assignments and labwork as well as the successful completion of various group projects. Academics aside, participating and winning in a robotics competition during pre-university days, being quartermaster of my college table-tennis team and involvement in voluntary work outside campus grounds have imparted many essential life skills. Some of which include resilience, inter-personal communication skills and leadership. In addition, I am also enthusiastic about many different sports, which have brought various degrees of success. In any case, a willingness to learn would hold me in good stead to face the potential obstacles that I am bound to come across in this attachment.
I would relish the opportunity to further discuss my qualifications and interest areas with you and also on how I could be of service to the company during this attachment. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours Sincerely,
Vinod Kumar (Mr)
(EDITED)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attachment Opportunities in IME
As part of our constant efforts to develop R&D talents for Singapore's electronics industry, we have been actively offering student attachment programmes to tertiary students. IME works closely with the local universities, polytechnics, junior colleges and secondary schools for student attachment opportunities. We support various types of student attachment programmes such as industrial attachments, vacation internship programmes, and final year project attachments.
For enquiries, please email us at uni-collaboration@ime.a-star.edu.sg.
Student who are in secondary schools or junior colleges, please refer to Youth Science Programme (YSP).
Other students who are interested to participate in our student attachments, please email, fax or send your resume, together with supporting documents (e.g. educational certificates and transcripts)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vinod Kumar
Block XXX, Rocky Road, #67-89
Singapore 111213
H/P : 91234567
E-mail : YYY@gmail.com
August 31, 2010
HR Department
Institute of Microelectronics
11 Science Park Road, Singapore Science Park II
Singapore 117685
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing in to express my interest for an attachment stint in the Institute of Microelectronics. I came to know about the internship position through a senior who has had prior working experience in your company and his positive feedback compelled me to apply immediately.
This being the penultimate year of my engineering (mechanical) bachelor degree in the National University of Singapore(NUS), I wish to put to practise the knowledge acquired thus far in a worksite setting. A keen interest in the mechatronics sector is further reason for me to pursue a spot in the various projects you have on offer such as those involving semiconductors and nano-electronics. I am however most inclined towards the Sensor and Actuator Microsystems(SAM) project on the evidence of better grades in the fundamental modules encompassing that area, for instance, feedback control systems. Being a highly hands-on project, the experience of labwork in linear circuits and frequency response has most certainly equipped me sufficiently in terms of familiarity with technical equipments.
Given an opportunity, I am confident I have the necessary skills to make a value-added contribution to the company. Self-motivation, hardworking ethic and knowledge of team dynamics have been inculcated through the meeting of crucial deadlines for assignments and labwork as well as the successful completion of various group projects. Academics aside, participating and winning in a robotics competition during pre-university days, being quartermaster of my college table-tennis team and involvement in voluntary work outside campus grounds have imparted many essential life skills. Some of which include resilience, inter-personal communication skills and leadership. In addition, I am also enthusiastic about many different sports, which have brought various degrees of success. In any case, a willingness to learn would hold me in good stead to face the potential obstacles that I am bound to come across in this attachment.
I would relish the opportunity to further discuss my qualifications and interest areas with you and also on how I could be of service to the company during this attachment. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours Sincerely,
Vinod Kumar (Mr)
(EDITED)
Sunday, August 29, 2010
My Way or the Highway
Day 29 and hardly any headway was being made. Each passing second seemed an eternity when in truth a countdown like no other was imminent. 3 nuclear explosives armed in strategic city locations. 6 hours before an entire nation goes up in an ash cloud. With it, the bright hopes for the future extinguished; a legacy confined to the pages of a mere history book. 1 man behind it all, but who stood guilty right before them. 2 special task force agents, Sally and Harry, assigned to break him down. A Herculean feat considering that Omar wasn’t hiding behind a camcorder delivering jihad war cries. He had offered himself up to the CIA deliberately to unmask its inadequacies - his final act of defiance.
Sally had grown accustomed to this scene. Often she found herself asking who the real monster was, Harry or Omar? 28 days later, she concluded that the lines were too faint to distinguish. She detested Harry for his brutality, his failure to see through her vantage point and his arrogant and chauvinistic ways. Having been licensed by the higher authorities to stop at no costs, Harry seemed to revel in her helplessness to discharge him off his duties. From the plucking of every nail on the body to the electric treatment which had permanently damaged Omar’s nervous system, the dunking ,suffocating and the intricate ‘carvings’ on Omar’s body, Sally had witnessed inconceivable degrees of human torture. This latest development was potentially disturbing on an altogether different scale. The CIA had gotten hold of Omar’s wife and kids whom he had hidden away in an unsuspecting village. Now, Harry wanted them hauled into the interrogation chamber as well. Sally’s thoughts were racing wildly and it was impossible to keep calm. Not when there was sheer disdain for basic human rights. ‘How could he?’, she seethed. He was a family man too, married to an ex- POW and having adopted orphans recently. A schizophrenic was at play in large and this time Sally decided there had to be a means to an end. Just not by Harry.
For Harry it was routine. ‘Let us not cross each other’s paths’ never seemed to sit down well with the weak-hearted. The objectives of both agents were alike but methodologies poles apart. As far as Harry was concerned, he usually held the winning hand. Emotional warfare on a hardened terrorist just defied logic and was too time consuming. Sally’s patient ways, to him, displayed signs of weakness. It was a case of nation before self in employing torture tactics and duty had to prevail. Why can’t Sally and her kind just open their minds to the greater good? He certainly did not gain masochistic pleasures from abusing Omar as seen from the frequent toilet breaks to clear up nauseous sensations. Omar was proving to be a personal nemesis, a hard nut to crack and Harry had no intentions of letting up. Inducing pain to Omar’s family right before him, Harry had hoped, would force him to spill out the necessary information. ‘6 hours to go’ he muttered.
Right against Rationale is the underlying cause for conflict between the 2 agents. The diplomatic solution would be to strike a balance but what happens when time becomes a factor and extremities are pushed? In short, is there an amicable solution? If not, to whose way would YOU sway?
(EDITED)
Sally had grown accustomed to this scene. Often she found herself asking who the real monster was, Harry or Omar? 28 days later, she concluded that the lines were too faint to distinguish. She detested Harry for his brutality, his failure to see through her vantage point and his arrogant and chauvinistic ways. Having been licensed by the higher authorities to stop at no costs, Harry seemed to revel in her helplessness to discharge him off his duties. From the plucking of every nail on the body to the electric treatment which had permanently damaged Omar’s nervous system, the dunking ,suffocating and the intricate ‘carvings’ on Omar’s body, Sally had witnessed inconceivable degrees of human torture. This latest development was potentially disturbing on an altogether different scale. The CIA had gotten hold of Omar’s wife and kids whom he had hidden away in an unsuspecting village. Now, Harry wanted them hauled into the interrogation chamber as well. Sally’s thoughts were racing wildly and it was impossible to keep calm. Not when there was sheer disdain for basic human rights. ‘How could he?’, she seethed. He was a family man too, married to an ex- POW and having adopted orphans recently. A schizophrenic was at play in large and this time Sally decided there had to be a means to an end. Just not by Harry.
For Harry it was routine. ‘Let us not cross each other’s paths’ never seemed to sit down well with the weak-hearted. The objectives of both agents were alike but methodologies poles apart. As far as Harry was concerned, he usually held the winning hand. Emotional warfare on a hardened terrorist just defied logic and was too time consuming. Sally’s patient ways, to him, displayed signs of weakness. It was a case of nation before self in employing torture tactics and duty had to prevail. Why can’t Sally and her kind just open their minds to the greater good? He certainly did not gain masochistic pleasures from abusing Omar as seen from the frequent toilet breaks to clear up nauseous sensations. Omar was proving to be a personal nemesis, a hard nut to crack and Harry had no intentions of letting up. Inducing pain to Omar’s family right before him, Harry had hoped, would force him to spill out the necessary information. ‘6 hours to go’ he muttered.
Right against Rationale is the underlying cause for conflict between the 2 agents. The diplomatic solution would be to strike a balance but what happens when time becomes a factor and extremities are pushed? In short, is there an amicable solution? If not, to whose way would YOU sway?
(EDITED)
Sunday, August 22, 2010
If only you could decode what I’m trying to encode...
As Jeff Daly once said, ‘Two monologues do not make a dialogue’. This for me sums up effective communication in a nutshell – or rather the lack of it. I speak, you speak, but we fail in conversing with each other. Ineffective communication? Check.
Human beings are often associated with the rather unflattering term ‘social creatures’. Its accuracy though cannot be refuted simply because of an inner instinct within us to be engrossed in the world of people we encounter daily, and an assurance of sorts in knowing that similarly, we are also in the thoughts of people. Interacting with people hence should come as second nature to us. Silly then it would appear the existence of a communication module (jk!). The key here, I’d think, is how effectively we communicate with one another.
At this current stage in my life effective communication serves two purposes; namely to forge new friendships and maintain existing relationships as well as to lay the stepping stones for an eventually successful, rewarding career. Relationships wise I’d like to use this post to highlight family bonds, one that’s delicately poised. My parents are products of the hard-line, iron-fisted upbringing of the past and they practise conservatism in many aspects of life. This doesn’t necessarily imply a negative connotation as I credit much of my better qualities to the consequences of that. Needless to say though, there has been many an occasion where my brother and I have run into disputes over countless of issues with them. From the parents’ point of view, I guess they’d understand why some animals eat their young and from my side, well why the rest flee from home :P. In all parent – teen conversations, there comes a point when the young don’t know what age and experience is and the old simply forget what youth was. I’m positive that many amongst us would bear testament to this situation and the prime reason always boils down to a generation gap. How do we get past this communication barrier then? Because more importantly, parenting is woven into my future fabric and the last thing I’d want is to be scarred by those animal planet visions of consuming your own.
Communication skills are also a vital cog in the professional wheel, be it in the stressful setting of facing a panel of grim looking interviewers or a more informal one in writing up cover letters and resumes or even publicly addressing an expectant crowd. As far as public speakers go, history has thrown up its fair share of idols. Hitler, Martin Luther King, John F Kennedy are just some names that roll off the tongue. More recently, a new age speaker was thrust into America’s spotlight and emerged from it unscathed at the same time capturing the awe of the global audience – Barack Obama. Impressive was the way he used his speeches solely to battle against racial prejudice, his major obstacle. Dwindling poll numbers due to certain unpopular policies and the occasional ‘Special Olympics’ gaffe on the Leno show aside, give the man a mike and he’s bound to take you for a ride. How does he do it? Apart from getting first hand tips from Barack himself, here’s to hoping that Brad is the next better option :D
I was once able to convince a Caucasian lady into parting with her 100 dollars for a fundraising event aimed at reaching out to the unprivileged kids. What was very memorable about it (besides the amount) was the fact that I felt I was running into a wall repeatedly throughout the few minutes of persuading her to donate. Eventually whilst handing out the cash, she smiled and commented on how I had the gift of the gab. That same gab inexplicably transforms into a gap which seems a bridge too far when it comes to explaining to interviewers on why I am the best man for their job or scholarship. It’s not tantamount to a 100% failure rate but yes there is a tendency to remember more vividly the failed attempts. On reflection I ask myself why is it more difficult to sell myself to companies as opposed to convincing people to part with their money. My mom says I’m better off a salesman than an engineer. ES2007S please disprove that logic.
As I mentioned earlier, communication should come almost as a reflex action to mankind. Therein lies its vulnerability though. True to reflex motions, sometimes we respond inappropriately immediately, passing our own judgments without actively listening and taking due consideration of others’ feelings. After which we’re left wondering how to have better responded.
And so, I took up effective communications, in a bid to find answers to the many questions posed above and more. A path towards self-discovery? Check.
Human beings are often associated with the rather unflattering term ‘social creatures’. Its accuracy though cannot be refuted simply because of an inner instinct within us to be engrossed in the world of people we encounter daily, and an assurance of sorts in knowing that similarly, we are also in the thoughts of people. Interacting with people hence should come as second nature to us. Silly then it would appear the existence of a communication module (jk!). The key here, I’d think, is how effectively we communicate with one another.
At this current stage in my life effective communication serves two purposes; namely to forge new friendships and maintain existing relationships as well as to lay the stepping stones for an eventually successful, rewarding career. Relationships wise I’d like to use this post to highlight family bonds, one that’s delicately poised. My parents are products of the hard-line, iron-fisted upbringing of the past and they practise conservatism in many aspects of life. This doesn’t necessarily imply a negative connotation as I credit much of my better qualities to the consequences of that. Needless to say though, there has been many an occasion where my brother and I have run into disputes over countless of issues with them. From the parents’ point of view, I guess they’d understand why some animals eat their young and from my side, well why the rest flee from home :P. In all parent – teen conversations, there comes a point when the young don’t know what age and experience is and the old simply forget what youth was. I’m positive that many amongst us would bear testament to this situation and the prime reason always boils down to a generation gap. How do we get past this communication barrier then? Because more importantly, parenting is woven into my future fabric and the last thing I’d want is to be scarred by those animal planet visions of consuming your own.
Communication skills are also a vital cog in the professional wheel, be it in the stressful setting of facing a panel of grim looking interviewers or a more informal one in writing up cover letters and resumes or even publicly addressing an expectant crowd. As far as public speakers go, history has thrown up its fair share of idols. Hitler, Martin Luther King, John F Kennedy are just some names that roll off the tongue. More recently, a new age speaker was thrust into America’s spotlight and emerged from it unscathed at the same time capturing the awe of the global audience – Barack Obama. Impressive was the way he used his speeches solely to battle against racial prejudice, his major obstacle. Dwindling poll numbers due to certain unpopular policies and the occasional ‘Special Olympics’ gaffe on the Leno show aside, give the man a mike and he’s bound to take you for a ride. How does he do it? Apart from getting first hand tips from Barack himself, here’s to hoping that Brad is the next better option :D
I was once able to convince a Caucasian lady into parting with her 100 dollars for a fundraising event aimed at reaching out to the unprivileged kids. What was very memorable about it (besides the amount) was the fact that I felt I was running into a wall repeatedly throughout the few minutes of persuading her to donate. Eventually whilst handing out the cash, she smiled and commented on how I had the gift of the gab. That same gab inexplicably transforms into a gap which seems a bridge too far when it comes to explaining to interviewers on why I am the best man for their job or scholarship. It’s not tantamount to a 100% failure rate but yes there is a tendency to remember more vividly the failed attempts. On reflection I ask myself why is it more difficult to sell myself to companies as opposed to convincing people to part with their money. My mom says I’m better off a salesman than an engineer. ES2007S please disprove that logic.
As I mentioned earlier, communication should come almost as a reflex action to mankind. Therein lies its vulnerability though. True to reflex motions, sometimes we respond inappropriately immediately, passing our own judgments without actively listening and taking due consideration of others’ feelings. After which we’re left wondering how to have better responded.
And so, I took up effective communications, in a bid to find answers to the many questions posed above and more. A path towards self-discovery? Check.
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