The question that has been plaguing me ever since I hit 21. Most of this has to do with my own self-expectations. All this while my perception of Manhood is one of maturity and perfection. My image of a Man is one who is graceful, charismatic, wise and fit; none of which fit my description. The person I want to be is not the person I am. Yet is it too much to want to be such a person? Is it wrong to want to possess such qualities?
Sure I do have my own good points but none of them measure up to the person I want to be. It almost seems as if this is just an ideal and such attaining such a standard is impossible. This is often the source of my insecurities. Am I not Man enough to be suitable for a sustainable relationship? Am I not Man enough to be the pillar in my family? All my shortcomings and mistakes seem to deny me this status. I keep committing silly mistakes that I regret even though I try to be the best that I am.
Yet I still struggle on despite my numerous failures in almost every aspect in my life. Yet I still try to reach for the goal. I don't even know if I'm trying, as I am swept off into that unescapable torrent called school. In the end, Man may just really be one who keeps trying and never gives up, one who keeps trying his best at everything he does.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Personalising this place!
Well I've decided to use this webbie as my personal blog now. Thanks to Brad and the module to give me a good kick in the arse to start writing.
Things to look out for in the future:
1) My current philosophies on life and relationships.
2) My dreams and aspirations.
3) My viewpoint on certain issues.
4) Little snippets on this geek called woody/moonkey.
Now... out with the creative pen!
Things to look out for in the future:
1) My current philosophies on life and relationships.
2) My dreams and aspirations.
3) My viewpoint on certain issues.
4) Little snippets on this geek called woody/moonkey.
Now... out with the creative pen!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sentimental Moments - It's "Emo" Time
The semester is finally drawing to an end. Yay. I'm finally not going to be tortured any further by those God-damned LSM modules any more but at the same time, this will be one of the final moments for this professional communication module. Getting through this module was by no means an easy feat. The assignments, coupled with those from my other history GEM, suffocated me with tons of work such that I almost sank into a bout of depression at one time. Anyway, enough ranting and down to my takeaways for this module.
I started this module with a very objective approach to communication. I viewed communication as a tool for survival and for achieving objectives. Although true, this is not all there is to the topic of communication. Interpersonal communication entails the soul of a person, drawing very heavily on one's emotional intelligence. The bonds that I've forged with TAJJ through doing the project together is a testament of this, teaching me the importance of investing my emotions into relationships. This personal approach to this last post is in contrast to my formal first post, to show that communication really depends on how well you handle the conditions and factors.
I think that the art of communication is a skill that needs to be constantly refined and used. If you don't exercise it, it will surely weaken. Learning to communicate doesn't take place only in the classroom. In fact, most of the learning has to be done outside when we are interacting with people. We have to constantly be aware of our conduct, refining it through learning from other people. I've come to believe that the spirit of this module is to embark us on a lifelong journey of self-awareness and constant self-improvement.
Lastly, I'd like to thank Brad for being such a charismatic teacher. Thanks for all your patience with us bad kids and for all the interesting and enriching experiences that you've shared with us in class.
Jeremy, signing off.
I started this module with a very objective approach to communication. I viewed communication as a tool for survival and for achieving objectives. Although true, this is not all there is to the topic of communication. Interpersonal communication entails the soul of a person, drawing very heavily on one's emotional intelligence. The bonds that I've forged with TAJJ through doing the project together is a testament of this, teaching me the importance of investing my emotions into relationships. This personal approach to this last post is in contrast to my formal first post, to show that communication really depends on how well you handle the conditions and factors.
I think that the art of communication is a skill that needs to be constantly refined and used. If you don't exercise it, it will surely weaken. Learning to communicate doesn't take place only in the classroom. In fact, most of the learning has to be done outside when we are interacting with people. We have to constantly be aware of our conduct, refining it through learning from other people. I've come to believe that the spirit of this module is to embark us on a lifelong journey of self-awareness and constant self-improvement.
Lastly, I'd like to thank Brad for being such a charismatic teacher. Thanks for all your patience with us bad kids and for all the interesting and enriching experiences that you've shared with us in class.
Jeremy, signing off.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
All about Woody (Shameless self-advertisement)
Woodford Jeremy Michael is friendly, helpful, original, patient and reflective.He is quite well versed in job skills such as administration, liasing, supervising, tutoring, teaching and writing. He can also use computer programs in Microsoft Office.
Jeremy possesses critical skills such as being able to follow instructions well and to get along well with others. He can manage, plan and organise well, is punctual and responsible. He is good at speaking and writing, as well as supervising and leading. He is also detail-oriented and is good at researching.
Jeremy is caring, diplomatic, encouraging, helpful patient and is a good mentor. When leading, he is also good at delegating work, sets clear and realistic goals, has integrity, is good at organising and is results-oriented.
Last but not least, Jeremy loves playing on the guitar and is an ardent fan of Guns and Roses (Rock On!) . He is also quite artistic and can sketch relatively well.
Jeremy possesses critical skills such as being able to follow instructions well and to get along well with others. He can manage, plan and organise well, is punctual and responsible. He is good at speaking and writing, as well as supervising and leading. He is also detail-oriented and is good at researching.
Jeremy is caring, diplomatic, encouraging, helpful patient and is a good mentor. When leading, he is also good at delegating work, sets clear and realistic goals, has integrity, is good at organising and is results-oriented.
Last but not least, Jeremy loves playing on the guitar and is an ardent fan of Guns and Roses (Rock On!) . He is also quite artistic and can sketch relatively well.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Lessons from TAJJ
This project was certainly one of the most interesting I've ever had, as I had to depend very heavily on my project mates to pull through the project.
The period of time where I had to do the bulk of the work for the project was also the time where I had to study for my mid term tests. These were no ordinary mid terms mind you. These were the mid terms of the legendary Life Science year 2 core modules, which were as torturous as the Draize test. I really felt like a lab rat/rabbit/monkey this semester.
I felt that my group did exceptionally well working with each other and understanding each other's situation, covering for each other whenever someone needed help. We managed to communicate with each other effectively and worked together seamlessly.
There was one minor hiccup that I could mention though. I was assigned to do the background of the report and the introduction of the literature report. However, the "eternally-blur" me misunderstood it as doing one introduction for the whole project and it ended up with me not being able to attend one meeting with the required work done. Luckily, no harm was done and I was able to finish up my portion of the work peacefully. Thank you TAJJ!
The period of time where I had to do the bulk of the work for the project was also the time where I had to study for my mid term tests. These were no ordinary mid terms mind you. These were the mid terms of the legendary Life Science year 2 core modules, which were as torturous as the Draize test. I really felt like a lab rat/rabbit/monkey this semester.
I felt that my group did exceptionally well working with each other and understanding each other's situation, covering for each other whenever someone needed help. We managed to communicate with each other effectively and worked together seamlessly.
There was one minor hiccup that I could mention though. I was assigned to do the background of the report and the introduction of the literature report. However, the "eternally-blur" me misunderstood it as doing one introduction for the whole project and it ended up with me not being able to attend one meeting with the required work done. Luckily, no harm was done and I was able to finish up my portion of the work peacefully. Thank you TAJJ!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Meet the (Chinese) Parents
Ling was finally going to bring her boyfriend, Bruce, to meet her parents over dinner. This would be a critical moment and his performance would determine whether Tracey's parents would accept this "Ang-Moh" as an in-law. Therefore, Tracey tried to brief her boyfriend about the Chinese culture and its "do's and don'ts" before the dinner, hoping that it would help him score those much needed points.
The dinner was a disaster. When the dishes were served, Bruce helped himself to the food heartily, unaware of the need for subtleties when taking food. What happened next was worse. When Ling’s mother brought out her signature dish, she followed the custom of Chinese cooks to criticise their own dishes in a bid to be modest. Guests were supposed to disagree, saying that it was delicious. However, Bruce commented that the dish could do with a little more soy sauce and proceeded to add some soy sauce to the dish in front of the cook herself!
Ling almost fainted on the spot. Would this potential “In-law” become an “Out-law” instead?
Now, we can’t really blame Bruce right? He was just acting like how he would be in a Caucasian family, where everything is open. He would never have realised the subtle and silent customs of the Chinese culture. Everything is learnt slowly through the years living in a Chinese family. Bruce was just trying to be helpful in adding the soy sauce. He wouldn’t have reacted to Ling’s mother’s comments in that way if he had a deeper understanding of the Chinese culture. Maybe he should have done a little more homework before coming over for such an important dinner?
The dinner was a disaster. When the dishes were served, Bruce helped himself to the food heartily, unaware of the need for subtleties when taking food. What happened next was worse. When Ling’s mother brought out her signature dish, she followed the custom of Chinese cooks to criticise their own dishes in a bid to be modest. Guests were supposed to disagree, saying that it was delicious. However, Bruce commented that the dish could do with a little more soy sauce and proceeded to add some soy sauce to the dish in front of the cook herself!
Ling almost fainted on the spot. Would this potential “In-law” become an “Out-law” instead?
Now, we can’t really blame Bruce right? He was just acting like how he would be in a Caucasian family, where everything is open. He would never have realised the subtle and silent customs of the Chinese culture. Everything is learnt slowly through the years living in a Chinese family. Bruce was just trying to be helpful in adding the soy sauce. He wouldn’t have reacted to Ling’s mother’s comments in that way if he had a deeper understanding of the Chinese culture. Maybe he should have done a little more homework before coming over for such an important dinner?
Saturday, September 6, 2008
The Fur Trade Horror
Aren't those furry soft toys and plushies such a pleasure to squeeze and to hug? Just thinking about the softeness of the texture makes you want to coo.
Stop
What if that fur was real and that it came from a fur farm in China? What is a fur farm? A place where fur is grown? I'm sorry to burst your bubble but a fur farm is hell on Earth. It is where countless animals are brought to be skinned for their fur. Be it dogs, cats, foxes or even monkeys, the list of animals goes on.
What's so horrible about that? We eat cows and chickens everyday right?
The horror is that these animals are skinned ALIVE, with no anasthesia or even any effort to kill them before the process. Just the process of bringing the animals to the farm is cruel in its own rights, where several animals are crammed into small cages and transported on lorries. The cages are "unloaded" by being thrown from heights of up to 30 feet from the top of the lorries to the ground. Legs are broken and bones are shattered, but these animals are still not dead yet.
The animals are then taken out and bashed senseless with sticks and poles before being skinned. The details are truly disturbing and brutal.
Here are a few readings for your information on this topic. Be warned that there are very graphic images and videos that may be viewed.
http://www.hsus.org/about_us/humane_society_international_hsi/cruelty_issues_around_the_world/dying_for_fur_recent_investigation_shows_cruelty_at_chinese_fur_farms.html
http://www.peta.org.uk/feat/dogcatfurUK.asp
http://buyhard.net46.net/animalcruelty.htm#dogslaughter
Some people around the world are aware of these atrocities and try to fight them. Sadly, most people do not care, thinking that this has nothing to do with them and that they would not be able to do anything to help anyway.
They are dead wrong.
By buying such products we are supporting the propagation of the fur trade. What the fur trade has succeeded in making fur socially acceptable by subtly incorporating fur products into merchandises. A coat with a fur collar, a parka with fur trim around the hood, a scarf, or wrap, or a handbag with fur detail. These are some examples of such products.
We can and should be morally bound to do something regarding this issue. What should be done is to teach the population about the cruelties of the fur trade and to enable them to identify the consumer actions that support their trade.
My question now is: How many people in NUS actually know of this issue? Then, how many people in Singapore know about this issue? We will not be able to do anything about this problem if we do not even know of its existence. Its time to stir the masses.
Stop
What if that fur was real and that it came from a fur farm in China? What is a fur farm? A place where fur is grown? I'm sorry to burst your bubble but a fur farm is hell on Earth. It is where countless animals are brought to be skinned for their fur. Be it dogs, cats, foxes or even monkeys, the list of animals goes on.
What's so horrible about that? We eat cows and chickens everyday right?
The horror is that these animals are skinned ALIVE, with no anasthesia or even any effort to kill them before the process. Just the process of bringing the animals to the farm is cruel in its own rights, where several animals are crammed into small cages and transported on lorries. The cages are "unloaded" by being thrown from heights of up to 30 feet from the top of the lorries to the ground. Legs are broken and bones are shattered, but these animals are still not dead yet.
The animals are then taken out and bashed senseless with sticks and poles before being skinned. The details are truly disturbing and brutal.
Here are a few readings for your information on this topic. Be warned that there are very graphic images and videos that may be viewed.
http://www.hsus.org/about_us/humane_society_international_hsi/cruelty_issues_around_the_world/dying_for_fur_recent_investigation_shows_cruelty_at_chinese_fur_farms.html
http://www.peta.org.uk/feat/dogcatfurUK.asp
http://buyhard.net46.net/animalcruelty.htm#dogslaughter
Some people around the world are aware of these atrocities and try to fight them. Sadly, most people do not care, thinking that this has nothing to do with them and that they would not be able to do anything to help anyway.
They are dead wrong.
By buying such products we are supporting the propagation of the fur trade. What the fur trade has succeeded in making fur socially acceptable by subtly incorporating fur products into merchandises. A coat with a fur collar, a parka with fur trim around the hood, a scarf, or wrap, or a handbag with fur detail. These are some examples of such products.
We can and should be morally bound to do something regarding this issue. What should be done is to teach the population about the cruelties of the fur trade and to enable them to identify the consumer actions that support their trade.
My question now is: How many people in NUS actually know of this issue? Then, how many people in Singapore know about this issue? We will not be able to do anything about this problem if we do not even know of its existence. Its time to stir the masses.
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