Final Thoughts

ES2007S has finally come to an end!! I took this module initially because I just came back from student exchange program and need to readjust to studying in NUS. ES2007S do not need to memorise any information unlike my Life Sciences modules so I decided to give it a shot. A lot of my friends told me not to take this module, but I just choose to go ahead.

This module is quite fun initially, with all the very interesting class activities. The workload starts to get more and more along the weeks and till recess week I had yet to find time to revise my core modules at all. There are many drafts and re-edits till the final product be it resume, application letter, peer teaching lesson plan and the proposal. Really wanted to give up by week 8 but I could not because if I want to graduate this semester, I need to have enough modular credits.

Objectively, I did learn a few useful skills through this module. The constant drafts and reviews sharpen me to be careful about many details (alignment, using of bullets, choice of words etc. ) which will make my work look more professional. Through this module, I also have the chance to conduct interview with the Vice Dean of Science which is really refreshing! This module got me thinking how to “brand myself” too, which I am really bad at.

Thanks to Ms Lim, my teacher who is very dedicated in teaching. I was quite amazed that Ms Lim came to class before 7am every lesson to prepare for her lesson! In addition. Ms Lim also puts in a lot of hard work, getting back to replies sometimes even after midnight. When I was really down, Ms Lim took out time to have a little chat with me after class. She encouraged me and advised me that I need to learn how to manage stress better because multi tasking is the norm in the working world.

I would not have made it to the end if not for my wonderful classmates (: They are really awesome people who brought so much fun and energy to class! Thanks to Malathi as well who cheered me up when I am down.  The small class size and the close interactions with classmates which other modules may not be able to offer is what I really enjoyed about ES2007S. THE END!

Final Showdown

After so many weeks of coming out with proposal brief, conducting questionnaire, interviews and proposal writing, finally the last lap is here!! ORAL PRESENTATION

Preparation

My group met up once before the presentation. It was really useful as we can sit down together and run through the slides together, standardizing everything- types of bullets used, space between word and bullet, front size etc. During my first run through, I keep pausing and stuttering then realize the importance of coming up with a script to reduce “on-the-spot” jitters in needing to come up with proper sentences.

The day before…

Ok, so I admit in practicing my script only the night before! I practiced in front a mirror to observe my hand gestures. Every time my stop watch hits 4minute, I start to panic! The pre-presentation nervous-ness sets in. The memories of how my mind blank out during one of my mini dance performance terrors me. The disappointment in how I score poorly for all my CA’s thus far starts to kill me. All the negative voices keep lingering in my mind affecting me not getting enough rest.

Two hours before…

Oral presentation isn’t really that bad thinking it is just FIVE minutes. Team reached 7am to give ourselves ample time to set up the technology and to settle down. The last run through my team had did help me to be more confident.

It’s Showtime!

I made a conscious effort in reminding myself to smile more, to pause appropriately and to use more hand gestures. Stutter a little towards the end L Reminded myself too that my eye contact should be natural. 4 minutes reached and saw timekeeper HuiQi raising her hands. Somehow I knew that practice pays off as I did not start to get nervous when I knew I reached 4 minutes. Sitting up straight while teammates are presenting also helps to portray a more positive image.

Overall, I think that all my classmates had done their very best for their oral presentation. Candice and Malathi who were very sick stand through the end to put up a good fight. Kudos to them! To me, putting aside all the negative thoughts that burdened me (not thinking about  my grades thus far, and how will I be JUDGED in this presentation), relieves me from the stress.

As the Chinese saying goes, people observing from the side sees it best, I would really appreciate dear friends if you could give me some feedbacks perhaps on the area that I did not do well so I can improve. Don’t worry, my “face skin” is quite thick and I value more on improving myself (: