What a meaningful weekend (Blog 3)

How time flies, it has been the tenth week since we come to Singapore.

This weekend, I took part in ‘Discover in Engineering’ organized by Faculty of Engineering. This activity aimed to offer a deep insight into engineering to our SM3 students as well as SM2 students. We were all impressed by the great role engineering had played in our lives and its various applications in many aspects from medicine to transport. The professor making the introduce of engineering was very humorous and told us that engineering student would be trained to be those who were capable of managing everything and could work well in any fields since engineering enabled students to develop an analytical and hands-on skill. Many students communicated with their seniors and faculties from Faculty of Engineering and expressed their concerns over engineering and benefited a lot through this learning journey.

A senior from Chemical Engineering made an address and briefly introduced her major. The senior was excellent and she had got a master offer from MIT. She told us what Chemical           Engineering was really about and    encouraged us to be brave enough to embrace challenge. We juniors all admired her for her outstanding achievement and fluent oral English. However, I believed she should have put a lot of hard work in her study.

Since I have more interest in Statistics, I do not want to choose engineering major, but from this learning journey, I got much inspiration and more determination to study hard in the following four years. I believe everyone has the potential to be the best one and everyone should have a rich university life.

           

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My Immortal (Blog2)

My Immortal

   Before you really know what I am saying, please do not be confused by title. I do not mean that I am talking about love or something which is very abstract and boring. I just share with you one of my favorite song. Of course, its name is “My Immortal”.

   “My Immortal” is a plain song accompanied with a leisurely piano rhythm.  The song describes a dispirited story about the band’s guitar player Ben Moody. Whole music’s pace is very slowly, so the singer’s voice can gradually express the desperate of Ben and then move the audience. Nonetheless, the MV of “My Immortal” is excellent too. The cost of photograph this MV is not too much, but I think it is the most touching MV I have ever saw and listened. The MV is black and white but colorful. A story in countryside is narrated in the MV. The scene is very simple. For instance, a fountain, many children played happily before the church, the heroine and hero wandered alone in the rainy day, the damp air after the rain, the heroine lain on the roof with the blurred background alone, a cozy house but no one lived in. All these scenes are so simple but gloomy and perfect. Besides, the voice is most impressive.

So I just share the lyrics with you.

I'm so tired of being here

Suppressed by all my childish fears

And if you have to leave

I wish that you would just leave

'Cause your presence still lingers here

And it won't leave me alone

These wounds won't seem to heal

This pain is just too real

There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears

I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have

All of me

You used to captivate me

By your resonating light

Now I'm bound by the life you left behind

Your face it haunts

My once pleasant dreams

Your voice it chased away

All the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal

This pain is just too real

There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears

I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have

All of me

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone

But though you're still with me

I've been alone all along

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears

I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have

All of me……..

And the song's MV,if you are interested in it.

    In fact, Amy won the “best new singer” and “best hard rock” Grammy Prize in 2004 by this song.But I have to say that the reality is always cruel to everyone. Ben Moody left the band and his girlfriend Amy Lee. Then he created a band called “We are the fallen” and covered Amy’s song. Amy did not create any new work after that frustration. But after seven years silence, Amy begin to release her new music in 2011 and I have listened them. They are really good work but not better than before. I wish Amy can find her true “Immortal” and give us better music work.
   Obvously, the last photo has been PS..... lol

Blog 3 Take out your phone

I decided to write to my father because of a book.

     Among my favourite books there is a special one called Dear Andre which is a collection of letters between Long Yingtai, a Taiwan writer, and her eighteen-year-old son. When I read the book, I envied their opportunity to communicate with each other in such a meaningful way. And that is where my idea came from.

I began my first attempt with a “special” text message in which I talked about my brief reflection of a book. And in my former university, I managed to send the first “formal” email to my father before the SM3 selection. In that email, I told him what I thought about the programme as well as my university life. To my surprise, he was so moved by my simple text messages and the email that he stored them and took a look at them from time to time. This encouraged me to carry on this kind of nonverbal communication.

Until now, I still keep the habit to SNS my father everyday. Through my experience, I know more about my father’s thoughts and the love between have deepened.

Today is my father’s birthday. I sent a text message at midnight so as to make sure that I am the first one to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him. 

My dear friends, sometimes love need to be expressed. When you read these words, could you please stop for a while and take out your mobile phone? Just a simple text message will do. Tell them you are fine and ask them to take care of themselves.

My Reflections on Ameican Hero Movies (Blog 3)

  A green beam breaks through the atmosphere reaching our blue planet, and then a warrior in green appears. His aim is to save the universe. This is a scene of a hot superhero movie­ ----- Green Lantern (2011). Nowadays, numerous American heroes have been put onto the screen. At the same time, millions of fans flock to cinemas to see their heroes’ real face. Consequently, box office receipts have hit hundreds of million dollars. However, I start to reconsider this phenomenon and the following are my reflections.

  Firstly, those sound, electronic effect, splendid decoration and 3D effect make me feel bored. Most people who fancy these movies are attracted by the tremendous scenery and thrilling sensation. Admittedly, no one can deny that their breakthrough in techniques, for example, Avatar’s success strongly proved it. However, after Avatar, nothing stays novel and even 3D effect becomes a routine like a highway to earn money. 3D effect in many films is no better than none, like Pirate of the Caribbean 4. Besides, Harry Potter 7 is the one which transformed into 3D but was not really shot in it. Some people come to cinema to obtain excitement while I prefer to relax myself during a movie. Therefore, those heavy music, fighting scenes, or rigid 3D effect bring me dreadful tiredness.

In addition, the plot presented in American hero movies is old fashioned, namely, in an exact pattern. In the beginning, the main character is too ordinary to capture a girl’s heart, meanwhile, his life is a terrible mass. Inadvertently, he comes across a serious of strange things, and then acquires super power. Next, failure arrives, which finally will cause the catastrophe of all humans. However, anger, love and responsibility evoke his latent power. In the name of freedom, he defeats the enemy so he rescues the girl, protects the city, and saves the world! Don’t you become bored when this pattern keeps repeating over and over again? What have ever changed is the actor and the hero’s name.

  Thirdly, the spirit reflected by these movies remains monotonous. In general, there are certain virtues like love, freedom, and insistence presenting in the movies. However, I believe it does not make any sense to emphasis these repeatedly. Moreover, what they are advertising is American ideology, which is assimilating numerous people around world. Why don’t we show our profound Chinese culture to the world but keep simulating others?

 

All in all, everyone should have a deep thought before following American hero movies fanatically. With awareness, the reason we love them will become more explicit.   

Team Work (Blog 3)

Recently, I have been exposed to lots of experiences andinformation of teamwork. It impresses me deeply.

Know more information by chance

Two weeks ago, we, a small group,made a presentation. (Food Guard, do you still remember?) It is my first formal teamwork product and we spared lots of effort on it. As a result, it is not too bad. In this case, teamwork played a vital role and we work hard together.Still, we met many problems about teamwork. I started to think about working asa group.

After that presentation, I ran into a NUS graduate. He said, ‘teamwork is increasingly important nowadays. In21st century, great discoveries of science are always found by teams. Hero scientist like Einstein can hardly been seen any more.’ 

What is more, I inquired something about teamwork of a civil engineer (also a NUS graduate). Similar advises came to me,‘ in civil engineering project, people always work as a teamto discuss about the design. If you don’t have a good skill to express your ownperspective, no matter how professional you are in this area, your design won’t be accepted by your teammates. Generally, man of higher position is more capable of communicating with others and persuading subordinates.’

Reflection on teamwork

According to the limited experience on teamwork, I find some problems. Sometimes, small conflict is unavoidable. If not dealt properly, it will make teammates work negatively,resulting in low efficiency. I need to learn a lot about how to listen toothers, even not quite willingly, and come up with my suggestions in a way that teammates will not feel being offended. Also, the ability of coordinating the team is crucially important. Sometimes, I should compromise and persuade others do it willingly as well. Only in this circumstance reconciliation can be available. In this case, everyone can have a voice in this team project,instead of being monopolized by someone. And the discussion and work atmosphere will be activated. Ultimately, the result of teamwork will be better and the cooperation itself will be more effectively and become an unforgettable memory.Wonderful, isn’t it?    

3.The Experience of buying a Trouser

  Although you may do not think that buy a trouser is a difficult thing to do, I still want to share my experience of buying a trouser with you. I bought a trouser this Saturday in Vivo City. It begins from my decision to go to Vivo City together with Wang Yifan. After we arrived there, we visited some shops. And finally I found a trouser I like very much. When I decided to buy it, Yifan told me that if I think the trouser is long for me, I can ask them to do me tailor. And after I finished trying the trouser, I surly think it needed a tailoring. So I ask the servers to help me. They measured it and marked a suitable position, and they asked me to pay the money first. After I payed the money, they bring my trouser away and told me that I should come back after 7:40 to take my trouser away. Then we went to eat to kill the time before 7:40. Finally, it is time for me to bring my trouser. I came to the shop and show my receipt to the server. They let me wait for a minute. And finally I got my lovely trouser.

Let me do a short of summary, if you want to buy a trouser, please remember:
1. Try the trouser and decide if you need a tailoring.
2. If you really need a tailoring please ask them to do it (you can get a free tailoring in the shop when you buy it)
3. You may need a short time wait before you can finally get your trouser so do not buy a trouser in a narrow time.
4. Remember to bring your receipt to the shop, because you need to use the receipt to bring your trouser.
Thank you for reading.

Are you brave enough?(BLOG2)

                                                                Are you brave enough?

 Nowadays, I get to know something about USP (University scholars’ programme), which aims to help student develop a creative thinking, an innovative mind as well as an enterprise spirit. Anyone taking part into this programe can gain a comprehensive education including science, engineering, arts, law and social science. What’s more, all students in this programme can live in Utown halls for four years without any additional condition. Utown is a newly established area located in the Kent Ridge campus, which follows the example of American Liberal Arts College , integrating teaching places into living places. However, for those who do not participate into this programme, they should have enough CCA credits(which reflects whether you are active in hall activities)to ensure that they can remain in the hall after Year 1. Therefore, this programme may be more suitable for you if you want to put your full heart into study and do not want to distract yourself on finding suitable living places everywhere when you lose the qualification of living in the hall.

What should be emphasized is that there will be many reading and essay for you from economics, science, law to ethics if you take part in USP, hence, your study stress may be very heavy, especially for our Chinese students, who got Chinese education domestically and are not used to English essay writing or intensive English reading.

Are you interested in this programme? It takes our courage and braveness to make this choice and it lies in the problem whether we are brave enough to make this decision rather than whether we are able to manage it. Also ,we should consider whether we are suitable to this programme and whether we have the ability to deal with stressful life. It is we that make a better decision, so are you brave enough to apply for it?