If we have to list a cultural group in Asia that is especially particular about food, I would say Japan is definitely top of the list. Every minute detail about authentic Japanese food would not be overlooked as such we can see the efforts reflect in the pricing as well. However, the way people view pricing of Japanese food is very different (this is not my main topic of this blog).

In Singapore, if we were to pay high amounts for a plate of sushi, we would be expecting the chef to give us something that we would like to put into our mouth, regardless of what is needed.

“Hey waiter can I have more wasabi/soya sauce/ginger slices/ pickles etc please”

I bet you would hear this phrase quite often, right? However on the contrary, you would seldom hear this request in Japan, especially in restaurants as I have found out during my visit to Japan mid last year.

If you were to pay 4000yen for a plate of sushi, it would be because the chef feels that this is the rightful amount that you should pay in order to have a taste of this wonderful delicacy that he has create. The worst thing that you can do is to use the phrase as mentioned earlier.

I was in this Sushi ten along Tsukiji fish market mid last year. Personally I love eating sushi; however I would say my love for sushi is in a Singaporean manner. I love to eat my sushi with a heavy dose of wasabi and some slices of pickled ginger. What surprise me was there was no familiar wasabi container sitting on the table. There was only shoyu and chopsticks available.

I then asked

“Sumimasen, wasabi wa arimasu ka?” (excuse me, do you have wasabi?)

Almost instantly, the chef’s face changed. His puzzled facial expression showed a hint of anguish and that made me felt very uncomfortable. He then looked towards his colleague and said something which I couldn’t quite make out. To my horror, his colleague, after hearing what the chef had said, had the same anguished puzzled expression on his face!

The chef did not look willing, but he still got me a small dish of wasabi. He was very polite when he passed the dish to me and prompted me to enjoy my food. Still I could not help but to wonder why he had that strange look on his face.

Subsequently I took up a Japanese module when school reopened –“Introduction to Japanese studies”. I got to know one Japanese friend during the module. It was only after conversing with him about the incident that I realize that, requesting the chef to make “changes” to this food or in my case, I requested to add more wasabi, is suggesting that his culinary skills are not up to my expectation. Apparently the chef was offended in some way but probably because I’m not local, he still went on and provided the dish of wasabi in a polite manner.

Well, I believe that how a person handles inter-cultural difference is a very important aspect especially in this culturally diversified world. What I would suggest is if ever you know you are going to meet someone from another country or cultural group, please do some background studies first to avoid situations like mine. It could be a potential loss of business!

My Application Letter

The Local On-the-Job Training (LOT) Programme is one of the programmes under Preparing for the Upturn (PREP-UP), an initiative by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) during the downturn to help build up science, engineering and technical capabilities in areas critical for Singapore’s manufacturing and international services sectors. The EDB, in conjunction with Dell Global B.V. (Singapore Branch), is offering 24 training places for aspiring engineers/professionals in the Technology industry. As a US-based company with a global infrastructure and team, Dell is a premier provider of products and services required for customers worldwide to build their Information Technology and Internet infrastructures. Under this programme, trainees will undergo 24 months of local attachment and training at Dell Global B.V. (Singapore Branch). The training is scheduled to commence in October 2009. Trainees will be paid a training grant for the duration of the training and will be required to serve employment in Dell Global B.V. (Singapore Branch), its subsidiaries or in other Singapore-based companies for 1 year upon completion of the training. We are looking for energetic and dynamic individuals who want a challenging career in the Technology industry to fill the following positions:

10.Global Operations Engineer (09000AKR)

· Degree in Engineering in any discipline, preferably Electrical & Electronics or Mechanical

Engineering

Pre-requisites for all positions:

Good communication, interpersonal and leadership skills

Independent, resourceful and keen to learn

Possess ‘hands-on’ approach towards work

Singaporeans or Permanent Residents of Singapore

Only fresh graduates should apply

Job description:

As a member of the Global Operations Fulfillment Team, the individual will be responsible for leading high profile project initiatives. Critical success factors include: Worldwide cross-functional team leadership skills, proven project management experience, business case development, strategic operations plans and strategies, effective presentation and communication skills. The individual must be a self starter with strong interpersonal skills, ability to deal with ambiguity, and exhibit initiative & ability to drive for results. As Program Manager for Worldwide supply chain initiatives the individual will: Assume ownership of all aspects of project. Define comprehensive scope of project (objectives, deliverables, timeline, business requirements, etc) Develop and manage detailed project milestones & schedule Manage program risks and issues and drive issues to closure Anticipate and adjust for roadblocks Capable of developing and assessing Business Case for program Possess and exhibit strong presentation skills Track and effectively communicates project status Strong understanding of Supply Chain, IT systems, factory processes and operations Understands entire Dell fulfillment process: from supplier to the fulfillment center to the customer, including the incoming transportation of materials on the front end; understands delivery and transportation models, and fulfillment of products or parts Understands the differences in fulfillment methods / models across regions, including key areas requiring additional or exceptional processes that add cost, cycle time, or impact. Ability to assimilate and translate product plans, roadmaps into Operational requirements, capabilities, and project plans

Blk Z, #01-01
20 happy palace,
Singapore 666666

6th February 2010

Human Resource Manager,
11 xx street,
xx company #B2-14,
Singapore 123456

Dear Mr Tan

Global Operations Engineer Trainee

I am interested in applying for the position Global Operations Engineer Trainee that was listed in the EDB website, under the LOT program posted on 17^th December 2009.

I believe I hold what it takes to become a valuable asset to your company. Having the chance to hold leadership roles as the captain of a faculty sports team and a NCO in a uniform group has allowed me to develop effective management and organizational skills over the last few years. Accompanied by strong interpersonal skills cultivated through my years of service in the F&B industry, I trust that my skills are what are required of to make an effective global operations engineer.

During my university days, I have demonstrated my capability as a strong presenter and speaker having earned praises from examiners and colleagues during project presentations. Scoring distinctions in most group oriented project modules has also proven my ability to excel in a team environment. Achieving consistent grades throughout my course of study further shows my ability to thrive under deadline driven environment resulting from commitments to other modules as well as school activities.

In review of your company's objectives, I believe that my experiences are in line with your current needs. If your company is looking for a dependable, results-oriented professional with a consistent performance track, I would be interested in speaking with you to discuss the value that my strengths can bring to your company. I can be reached in confidence at one of the above telephone numbers and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours Faithfully,

Chua Jia En Alex

My mom, her handphone and ME =)

Hi people,

It is a real coincidence that this week’s topic is on interpersonal conflict as just the day before, I had a small unnecessary argument with my mom! So once again I shall talk about my life story AGAIN..

*All—BORING!!

Even so please read and comment ok?

Anyway, I just bought my mom a new phone from M1 a month back and yesterday she was going to make a trip up north to JB to visit my grandmother. The problem was she did not know what number to dial as she was previously a subscriber of Singtel and their IDD number was 018, whereas M1’s IDD is 021.

So the day before, she came to me while I was reading ES2007S notes *winks to Ms Lim* and asked me how to make the calls to Malaysia if she was at the custom.

So here comes the misunderstanding which leads to my small conflict.

What she actually meant was:

How to call a JB registered cell-phone number when she is still at the Singapore’s custom?

However my interpretation was:

How to call a JB registered cell-phone number when she is at the Malaysia’s custom?

My answer to her question was “just dial the cell-phone number lar, so easy also dunno!” (This is because she has auto roaming so she will be on Malaysia’s network by the time she at the Malaysia customs)

She then replied with an agitated tone “Since when do you dial the number directly?! When I was with Singtel I dial 0186! And why are you so rude? If you don’t know the answer don’t act like you know! What I want to know is how to call your aunty’s house when I’m at the custom? ”

Then I got agitated. Does she want fixline or cellphone? In anycase you’ll still dial directly because she will be on the Malaysia’s network by then. Then the argument started.

Throughout the whole process of teaching her how to call that *&^% JB cell number, which by the way last 45 minutes, her question kept changing and she never stop yelling at me. I was always in a state of confusion and frustration. Questions that kept coming to my head was

“What the hell does she not understand?”

“What does she want to know?”

Thank goodness for me, my mom is easily pleased with the help of my father. Once I made the phone call, she smiled and knocked my head with her knuckles.

How would you have handled the situation? Could I have done something different to avoid this conflict? Lastly I believe both my mom and I are in the wrong but who is “more” wrong or do you beg to differ?

Feel free to tell me what you’ll think about this stupid unnecessary conflict. See you’ll in class =)

Post #1: why ES2007S

Communication is the one thing that I firmly believe holds the key to success. Unfortunately language has never been my forte through my years of study. It is frustrating to see how others can present the same ideas so much better than I do when doing presentations. It make me wonder why others can pen down the same ideas much more clearly with less words, convey the same message with less effort and I can’t. There was a certain point in my life that I felt that it was because my vocabulary was limited and I lack the words to represent my ideas that made me less comprehensible by others. It was only until a started to read articles and transcripts made by famous people, in fact, leaders like ex CEO of Microsoft (china), Steve Jobs etc that I begin to think- They are not using bombastic words as well! Yet they are able to present ideas to audience in a simple yet understandable fashion. It was then that I realize that there are more to communication than just talking.

Well, I did try to brush up on my communication skills after which, however I still feel that there are a lot of times that better communication can be made between me and the other party. There are still times when there was sudden awkward silences, times when questions was not answered, times when I feel that the other party simply just doesn’t understand what in the world am I trying to tell him/her. This is why I feel that ES2007S in a module that can help me have a better understanding of what really is going on behind the ART of communication.

Looking through the various topics, things that will be covered are extremely useful, especially in the working environment today where there is almost no individual work involve. I’m from engineering faculty and I know very well that when I go out there I will have to work with engineers, marketing, everyone from everywhere, not just Electrical engineers. I feel that this where all this skills which we are about to learn will come in handy. Skills like oral presentation, questioning techniques, listening techniques, all this will come in handy. Not to mention how to perform during interviews and also how to get that interview by writing a convincing cover and resume. These are all important aspects that I will be facing very soon.

I hope that by the end of this module, the class will be more confident in their communication POWER and in the future we can all walk to our superiors saying“ Hey, presentation? No prob I’ll do it.” =)

TEST TEST

Hi all this is just a testing post for the blog hehe. Enjoyed my first lesson today hope to get a chance to work with all of you'll. Let's have a great SEM together ya!! See you'll around!!