Executive Summary from project proposal

Paying for public transportation is not at a top notch technological level in Singapore. Since the Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology has been introduced in 2012 in Singapore, there has not been much progression or usage of it for the convenience of commuters who take public transportation every day. There is a need for SMRT and LTA to implement NFC technology for payment of public transportation. The objective of this proposal is to propose having a minimum standardized NFC chip for all smartphones to allow users to pay for public transport with their NFC enabled smartphones. This will grant users a smarter and efficient way to consolidate all the payment cards into one-unit device – smartphones, which means residents and commuters can pay for public transport with just a wave of their smartphone across an electronic device. NFC enabled smartphone users can make use of NFC technology to pay for other transactions as well such as food, movie tickets and shopping conveniently.

Letter of Transmittal from project proposal

Letter of Transmittal

7 October 2015

Mr. Blackstone

Senior Lecturer

Centre for English Language Communication

20 Dover Road

 

Dear Mr. Blackstone

RE: Proposal for ‘NFC-Enabled smartphones with universal NFC-Chip compatibility’

We are pleased to present to you our proposal idea of ‘NFC-Enabled smartphones with universal NFC-Chip compatibility.’ This report has been prepared to demonstrate how people can make full use of their smartphones and consolidate all EZ-Link and credit cards into one device. In addition, have a minimum standardized NFC Chip compatible to all phone brands to allow all users to enjoy the privilege of NFC-enabled phones. The current example would be how commuters are scanning their EZ-Link card every day for public transportation. Hoping to enhance the current system of scanning cards, the team would like to up it to the next level of scanning your smartphone on the go without having to face the hassle of searching for your card somewhere in your pockets, wallets or bag.

The time and effort taken to read our report is appreciated. This team hopes you would consider implementing our idea for better convenience for the commuters and travelers.

 

Yours sincerely

NFC Hype

Personal statement from project proposal

As an engineering student, it is important to be updated with the technology so that one understands the applications and make room for innovative ideas from the existing technology.  I am interested in the technology called Near Field Communication (NFC) which can be found in the smartphone. The NFC enabled smartphone allows mobile payments for shopping but not for buses and train rides.  It would be good if all EZ-Link and credit/debit cards can be combined into a smartphone with the touch of NFC technology. It is time to go wallet-less.

Critical Reflection - The Role of Peer and Tutor Feedback

At first when I knew I had to attend another “English” module in the university, I thought it was a little burdensome as I am not a fan of English writing courses ever since I took it during my 3 years in the polytechnic. I guess as an engineering student, it is natural to think that there is no need to master writing skills because engineering would be full of formulas and technical matters. Little did I realize the importance of good writing and communication especially for engineers, because it is an essential skill to develop so that engineers can explain the technical report in clear and concise manner. Therefore, I am very glad I took the Effective Communication module in my first trimester in university.

 

The first time I received peer feedbacks in this module were for the reflection post, “My English Learning Journey”. Personally, I really like Serene’s feedback to my post. I would like to thank her for giving me many constructive comments on how I can further improve my writings. At times, I do get intimidated from peer feedbacks for my writing because I thought I would get affected by the criticism my friends gave. However, the feedbacks I received made me more meticulous on my grammar and sentence structures.

 

Of course, I really appreciate Brad’s comments on every essay I wrote. He gave specific remarks on my writings and furthermore, he would give several sources online so that we can learn to write better for the report. Brad’s feedbacks on my essays are helpful because it allows me to understand what went wrong especially my tendency to use “hence”.  Now, I try to refrain from using hence and I find other alternative for suitable transition words and use appropriate vocabulary in my sentences.

 

Every student in SIT should take Effective Communication course because it builds up the foundation for writing skills and allow students to practice writing reports with proper citations according to the APA Style. I will definitely apply the skills that I have learnt, such as writing in APA style, for future reports for other modules. 

The 2 oral presentations that I did in this module have definitely build up my confidence level to present to public after a long time of not presenting. It helps me to take note about the important techniques to deliver a  good presentation such as having a good stand and good eye contact with the public. I will put in mind these points when I present in the future for other modules' presentations.

- 29 Nov 2015, 7:50pm
- Edited on 09 Dec 2015, 10:30am

Reader Response on Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities by Heidi Cho - Final draft 4

In the article “Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities”, Cho (2014) mentions that enhanced infrastructural development is vital in considering the economic, social and environmental issues in cities.  She further asserts that the key factor of a nation’s competitiveness to unite cities is by having sustainable and competent infrastructure. While emphasizing the goal to achieve sustainable infrastructural development, the writer explains about the Envision Rating System. The rating system is a tool to evaluate the performance of an infrastructure, particularly for its sustainability. Cho mentions about her involvement in the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) project that would bring a positive impact to the Saudis in the future. The writer believes that infrastructure must improve the aspect of life of the society while preserving energy resources as well as considering the natural environment and climate change.
 

I agree with Cho that both government and the private sector need to agree on sustainability. However, she fails to explain that approaches for policies, strategies and projects from the government that is important for sustainable development while considering the economic, social and environmental issues.
 

 At the start, sustainable development can be hard to implement. In order to prevent sustainable ideas from being short-lived, a firm decision made by government is vital. As stated in the article “Sustainable Development” from the Legrand website (n.d.), governance is needed in decision - making process so that policies can be implemented with respect to sustainable development.  The author claims that all members of the society including the private and public sector companies, associations, unions and citizens need to come to an agreement for sustainable development to avoid conflict of interest. This links back to what Cho had mentioned in her article, that government and private sector have to work hand in hand towards sustainable development.
 

Clark (2012) reports that “effective governance is a prerequisite for putting in place the integrated policymaking capacity which is needed to drive sustainable development.” To demonstrate good decision making towards sustainable development, the same author uses Singapore as an example. Singapore has set up a plan called the “sustainable development blueprint,” which involves all relevant ministries to analyze urban problems and the ways to manage these. Personally, I feel that the sustainable Singapore blueprint project signifies a great effort by the Singapore government to further instill a positive mindset of the public and private sectors towards sustainable development.
 

For example, Singapore was awarded the intelligent city award for its smart transport system and became one of the least congested major cities in the world.  The success was led by the Singapore government, who understood the importance of efficiency and affordable transportation system (Reyes, 2013). Reyes remarks that the Singapore Land Transport System Authority will further invest in transport infrastructure. In my opinion, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport made the right decision to invest in transport infrastructure so as to achieve “car-lite”. In this way, the public would not have to rely on cars as they can take the public transport to get from one place to another conveniently.

Additionally, Singapore’s skills in green buildings were featured in prestige multi-national expansions called the Sino - Singapore Tianjin Eco City. In June 2013, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) became the first government agency outside North America and Europe to obtain the Alliance to Save Energy’s International Star Award. On top of that, BCA’s dedication and leadership in green building development was reflected in other global accolades such as World Green Building Council’s Government Leadership Award and Aspen Institute Energy and Environment (Government) Award. (BCA website, n.d.).

In conclusion, I strongly believe that Singapore government plays an important role by setting the first step in sustainable development. The Singapore government should be transparent, open to sustainable ideas and responsible. Not only do infrastructure engineers need to think about an improved approach for infrastructure, they need to communicate to the citizens about what sustainable development can bring to a society. Therefore, I feel that the government can help to convey and convince the public for a good change.

Moreover, the government can implement a certification system whereby companies all over the world would need to fulfill international standards on sustainable development. One example is the Green Mark, a rating tool made by the BCA to ensure buildings are environmental friendly. This also could coincide with what Cho had emphasized in her article that both the government and private sector need to be equipped and capable to evaluate sustainable infrastructure development using systems such as the Envision Rating System.

 

References:

Building and Construction Authority. (n.d.). Leading the way for green buildings in the tropics. Retrieved from
https://www.bca.gov.sg/greenmark/others/sg_green_buildings_tropics.pdf

Cho,H. (2014). Developing sustainable infrastructure in new cities. New Cities Foundation. Retrieved from
http://www.newcitiesfoundation.org/evaluating-sustainable-infrastructure-development-new-cities/

Clark,H. (2013 March 13). Helen Clark: The importance of governance for sustainable development. United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved from

http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/speeches/2012/03/13/the-importance-of-governance-for-sustainable-development.html

Reyes,E. (2013 September 9). Singapore,Tokyo among top ten best cities for urban sustainability. Eco-Business. Retrieved from
http://www.eco-business.com/news/singapore-tokyo-among-top-ten-best-cities-urban-sustainability/

Legrand. (n.d.). Sustainable development. Retrieved from
http://www.legrand.com/EN/sustainable-development-description_12847.html

 

Someone who influenced me

Someone who influenced me?  I would say it is none other than my older siblings.  The 3 of us are 6 years apart from each other.  My brother was born in 1982, my sister was born in 1988 and I was born in 1994. Despite the huge age difference, the bond between us is really strong.  First, I am going to talk about my brother.   When I was a little girl, my brother dotes on me a lot. Even though I am a girl, my brother and I would often play shooting guns and ball games in the house. Sometimes, we would play rough games with each other like “wrestling”.   My brother was very strict and overly protective towards his 2 little sisters.  He would scold my sister and I if we came back home late at night, and going to chalet for any class outing was an impossible thing to do. 

At the age of 21, I embarked on a new journey of my life and that is; entering the university. The first 2 weeks in the university was REALLY tough for me.  It was hard to adjust to the fast paced of college life and on top of the assignments that keeps on piling up, I had to babysit my 6 year old niece and 4 year old nephew. This was because my brother and his wife went for a backpacking trip in Europe for 2 weeks. It was those 2 hellish weeks that I went through which made me realized how tough it was for my brother when he was pursuing for his degree.

Right after completing his diploma, my brother worked as a security guard at Suntec City and earns $50 a day.  Even with his little earnings, he saved up as much as he could to buy a new television to replace the old fashioned TV which was big and heavy.  After nearly a year or so, my brother got a stable job in a government state board as a career consultant.  My brother realized that he needs to upgrade himself in order to keep up with fast paced competitive life in Singapore.  He applied a part-time degree in business course in Singapore Institute of Management (SIM).   The journey towards his degree wasn’t smooth sailing as he had to juggle with his family, his career and being a student.  Finally after 3 years of hard work and dedication, he graduated on 16 October 2013 (which also falls on my birthday hehe).  My brother definitely motivates me to not give up even though the journey in University is tough.

 

My happy brother has graduated!

 

My brother and his lovely wife

 

                                                    My brother and my beloved parents

 

My niece

 

I would say my sister is more than just a sister to me. She is someone whom I cannot live without. Of course at times we had our bad days and it is normal for sisters to fight.   Back in secondary school days she was in the technical stream and managed to secure a seat in the normal academic stream.  After completing her o-levels, she entered Ngee Ann polytechnic in maritime offshore technology. She made the family even more proud by entering NTU, majored in mechanical engineering. I witnessed how hard she struggled for the degree and it really touching to see how much she endured on when she feels like giving up.  Even with a degree, finding a job was quite a challenge for her. After 6 months, she joined in a company which she needs to serve for 2 years. She was really reluctant at first, but she took the job eventually because she feels that it would make her gain a lot of experience. After completing the 2 year bond she now landed in another company and is coping quite well with it.

I would like to thank my sister for always be there for me whenever I need someone to talk to about my problems. I thank her for tolerating my moody self at home.  I also like to thank her for supporting me financially when I need some extra allowance. She even bought a laptop for me to use it for university as my old laptop is spoilt.  Thank you for being my partner in crime for all the impulse overseas concert trips. I love you sister!!!  

 

Kitty (her nickname I gave) has graduated from NTU

 

concert trip with Kitty in Jakarta

 

Concert trip with Kitty in Seoul

 

Selamat Hari Raya from the sisters <3

 

 

Reflection on Oral Presentation - NFC Hype!

My group and I had our oral presentation on Monday, 9 November.  It was very nerve wrecking because all of us were not allowed to present with a script or cue cards. My teammates advised me not to memorize word by word from the script I had drafted out because once I forget a sentence or a word, it will definitely affect my delivery. Before the presentation, my teammates and I went to an empty classroom to rehearse on our presentation. The practices really benefit me as I became more confident to speak to my classmates and it helps me to memorize the content that I am suppose to convey for the actual presentation.

According to the feedbacks my classmates had given me, I felt that I did okay for my oral presentation. However, there are few things that I can improve on, like not to rush my points and ensure a good eye contact with the audience at all times. I also had some filler words here and there which I need to avoid in future presentation. Overall, this presentation is a good head start for me to prepare for other presentation in my university life here in SIT.  Lastly, I really thank Brad for putting me with a bunch of fun and understanding group mates!

Yours sincerely,

Siti Mardhiyyah from

HipsterDotCom J

Reader Response on Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities Draft 3

In the article “Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities”, Cho (2014) mentions that enhanced infrastructural development is vital in considering the economic, social and environmental issues in cities.  She further asserts that the key factor of a nation’s competitiveness to unite cities is by having sustainable and competent infrastructure. While emphasizing the goal to achieve sustainable infrastructural development, the writer explains about the Envision Rating System. The rating system is a tool to evaluate the performance of an infrastructure particularly for its sustainability. Cho mentions about her involvement in the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) that would bring positive impact to the Saudis in the future. The writer believes that infrastructure must improve the aspect of life of the society while preserving energy resources as well as considering the natural environment and climate change.

I agree with Cho that both government and the private sector need to agree on sustainability. However, she fails to explain that approaches for policies, strategies and projects from the government is important for sustainable development while considering the economic, social and environmental issues.

At the start, sustainable development can be hard to implement. In order to prevent sustainable ideas from being short-lived, a firm decision made by government is vital. As stated in the article “Sustainable Development” from Legrand website, governance is needed in decision making process so that policies can be implemented with respect to sustainable development.  The author claims that all members of the society including the private and public sector companies, associations, unions and citizens need to come to an agreement for sustainable development to avoid conflict of interest. This links back to what Cho had mentioned in her article, that government and private sector have to work hand in hand towards sustainable development.

Clark (2012) reports that “effective governance is a prerequisite for putting in place the integrated policymaking capacity which is needed to drive sustainable development.” To demonstrate good decision making towards sustainable development, the same author uses Singapore as an example. Singapore has set up a plan called “sustainable development blueprint” which involve of all relevant ministries to analyze urban problems and the ways to manage the problems. Personally, I feel that The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint project signifies a great effort by the Singapore government to further instill a positive mindset of the public and private sectors towards sustainable development.

For example, Singapore was awarded the intelligent city award for its smart transport system and became the least congested major cities in the world.  The success was led by the Singapore government, who understood the importance of efficiency and affordable transportation system (Reyes, 2013). Reyes remarks that the Singapore Land Transport System Authority will further invest in transport infrastructure. In my opinion, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport made the right decision to invest in transport infrastructure so as to achieve “car-lite”. In this way, the public would not have to rely on cars as they can take the public transport to get from one place to another conveniently.

Additionally, Singapore skill’s in green buildings was featured in prestige multi-national expansions like the Sino- Singapore Tianjin Eco City. In June 2013, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) became the first government agency outside North America and Europe to obtain the Alliance to Save Energy’s International Star Award. On top of that, BCA’s dedication and leadership in green building development was reflected in other global accolades such as World Green Building Council’s Government Leadership Award and Aspen Institute Energy and Environment (Government) Award. (BCA website, n.d.).

In conclusion, I strongly believe that Singapore government plays an important role by setting the first step in sustainable development. The Singapore government should be transparent, open to sustainable ideas and responsible. Not only do infrastructure engineers need to think about an improved approach for infrastructure, they need to communicate to the citizens about what sustainable development can bring to a society. Therefore, I feel that the government can help to convey and convince the public for a good change.

The government can implement a certification system where companies all over the world need to fulfill with international standards on sustainable development. Such example is the Green Mark; a rating tool made by the BCA to ensure buildings is environmental friendly. This also coincide with what Cho had emphasized in her article both the government and private sector need to be equipped and capable to evaluate sustainable infrastructure development using the Envision Rating System.

References:
 

Cho,H. (2014). Developing sustainable infrastructure in new cities. New Cities Foundation. Retrieved from
http://www.newcitiesfoundation.org/evaluating-sustainable-infrastructure-development-new-cities/

Clark,H. (2013 March 13). Helen Clark: The importance of governance for sustainable development. United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved from http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/speeches/2012/03/13/the-importance-of-governance-for-sustainable-development.html

Leading the way for green buildings in the tropics (n.d.) Building and Construction Authority Retrieved from

https://www.bca.gov.sg/greenmark/others/sg_green_buildings_tropics.pdf

Reyes,E. (2013 September 9). Singapore,Tokyo among top ten best cities for urban sustainability. Eco-Business. Retrieved from

http://www.eco-business.com/news/singapore-tokyo-among-top-ten-best-cities-urban-sustainability/
 

Sustainable development. (n.d.).Legrand. Retrieved from
http://www.legrand.com/EN/sustainable-development-description_12847.html

 

Reader Response on "Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities" Draft 2

In the article “Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities”, Cho (2014) mentions that enhanced infrastructural development is vital in considering the economic, social and environmental issues in urban cities. She further asserts that the key factor of a nation’s competitiveness to unite and incorporate cities to greater serves the resident is by having sustainable and competent infrastructure. The writer explains about the Envision Rating System which is a tool to evaluate the performance of an infrastructure. Cho mentions about her involvement in the Impact King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) that would bring positive impact on the community in the future. The writer believes that infrastructure must improve the aspect of life of the society while preserving energy resources as well as considering the natural environment and climate change. While I agree with Cho that both government and the private sector need to agree on sustainability, she lacks in explaining why it is essential to have good governance and firm decision from the government for sustainable development.

At the start, sustainable development can be hard to implement. There might be many obstacles to go through to achieve sustainability especially in developed countries due to the rapid urban growth. In order to prevent sustainable ideas not to be short-lived, a firm decision made by the government is vital. As stated in the article “Sustainable Development” from Legrand website, the author affirms that governance is needed in decision making process. The author also claims that all members of the society including the private and public sector companies, associations, unions and citizens need to come to an agreement for sustainable development. This is also true to what Cho had mentioned in her article that government and private sector have to work hand in hand towards sustainable development.

In addition to support that good governance plays an important role towards sustainable development, Clark (2012) reports that “effective governance is a prerequisite for putting in place the integrated policymaking capacity which is needed to drive sustainable development.” Clark further states that the government of Singapore set up a plan called “sustainable development blueprint” which brought all relevant ministries to analyze urban challenges and ways to tackle the problem. Personally, I feel that The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint project signifies great effort by the Singapore government to further instill a positive mindset of the public and private sectors towards sustainable development.

For example, Singapore was awarded the intelligent city award for its smart transport system and achieves to be one of the least congested major cities in the world.  The success was led by the Singapore government, who understood the importance of efficiency and affordable transportation system. (Reyes, 2013) Reyes remarks that Singapore Land Transport System Authority will further invest in transport infrastructure. In my opinion, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport made the right decision to invest on the transport infrastructure so as to achieve “car-lite”. This way, the public would not have to rely on cars as they can take the public transport to get from one place to another conveniently. Moreover, there would be lesser emission of carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases to the Earth’s atmosphere.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that the government plays an important role by setting the first step in sustainable development. The government should be transparent, open to sustainable ideas and responsible. Not only infrastructure engineers need to think about improved approach for infrastructure, they need to communicate to the society about the significance and worthiness a sustainable development can bring to a society. Therefore, I feel that the government can help to convey and convince the public for a good change. The government have the power to make law and adopt policies that are more approachable to people and the environment.

(622 words)

References

Cho,H. (2014). Developing sustainable infrastructure in new cities.New cities foundation. Retrieved from http://www.newcitiesfoundation.org/evaluating-sustainable-infrastructure-development-new-cities/

Clark,H. (2013 March 13). Helen Clark: the importance of governance for sustainable development. United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved from

http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/speeches/2012/03/13/the-importance-of-governance-for-sustainable-development.html

Reyes,E. (2013 September 9). Singapore,Tokyo among top ten best cities for urban sustainability. Eco-Business. Retrieved from http://www.eco-business.com/news/singapore-tokyo-among-top-ten-best-cities-urban-sustainability/

Sustainable development. (n.d.).Legrand. Retrieved from http://www.legrand.com/EN/sustainable-development-description_12847.html

-Edited on 02/10/2015 at 1925 hours

Reader Response on "Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities" Draft 1

In the article “Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities” Cho (2014) mentions that enhanced infrastructural development is vital in considering the economic, social and environmental issues in urban cities. She further asserts that the major factor of a nation’s competitiveness to unite and incorporate cities to greater serves the resident is by having sustainable and competent infrastructure. She also mentions about her involvement in the Impact King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) that would bring positive impact on the community in the future. The writer beliefs that infrastructure must improve the aspect of life of the society while preserving energy resources as well as considering the natural environment and climate change. I agree with the writer that if the right and well planned infrastructure is built, it would bring positive impact for the nation.

Investing on infrastructure can lead to the economic growth. According to the article “Infrastructure for economic and social development, and a more sustainable world” English (2015) states that investment in infrastructure leads to economic growth and improve the well-being of the people in a country. Cross referencing to another article “Singapore, Tokyo among the top ten best cities for urban sustainability” Reyes (2013) claims that Singapore was awarded the intelligent city award for its smart transport system.  Singapore achieves to be one of the least congested major cities in the world.  The success was led by the Singapore government, who understood the importance of efficiency and affordable transportation system. Reyes asserts that Singapore Land Transport System Authority will further invest in transport infrastructure.

Similar to Cho’s article, English’s article also emphasized that climate change is one key challenge to overcome. English further asserts that suitable sustainable infrastructure is needed to adapt the consequences of climate change by installing clean energy technologies to reduce emission of greenhouse gases to earth’s atmosphere.

A good example of sustainable infrastructural development is in Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. The city will be the world’s first sustainable city to have zero carbon waste. The city will be power driven by solar, wind and geothermal energy. From here, we can see that extra efforts for an improved infrastructure can help preserve energy resources and contribute less to global warming.

Lastly, in English’s article he affirms that for an enhanced, greener, harmless and more sustainable world the infrastructure community must unite at national, regional as well as global level to bring comprehensive sustainable infrastructure for the people.

Overall, after reading Cho’s article and other articles, I found a lot of similar ideas were discussed. I have a better understanding why sustainable infrastructure is important especially in this 21^st century. I feel that in order to achieve sustainable infrastructural development, a good planning in building designs, the construction methods, using environmental friendly materials need to be adopted. Although it may be very costly it is a worth investment in a long run.

References

(English, 2015) http://www.infrastructure-intelligence.com/article/jul-2015/infrastructure-economic-and-social-development-and-more-sustainable-world

(Reyes, 2013) http://www.eco-business.com/news/singapore-tokyo-among-top-ten-best-cities-urban-sustainability/

PS: this is really the draft version posted on 25/11/2015 at 1120 hours

Summary on "Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities"

In the article “Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities”, Cho (2014) mentions that enhanced infrastructural development is vital in considering the economic, social and environmental issues in urban cities. She further asserts that the major factor of a nation’s competitiveness to unite and incorporate cities to greater serves the resident is by having sustainable and competent infrastructure. The writer explains about the Envision Rating System which is a tool to evaluate the performance of an infrastructure. Cho mentions about her involvement in the Impact King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) that would bring positive impact on the community in the future. The writer believes that infrastructure must improve the aspect of life of the society while preserving energy resources as well as considering the natural environment and climate change.

Posted on 24/11/2015 at 0800 hours

Edited on 24/11/2015 at 2355 hours
Edited on 26/11/2015 at 1500 hours

My English Language Learning Journey

Being born in Singapore, I was introduced to English language at a very young age.  My parents would read to me bedtime stories from various English storybooks. Coming from a Malay-speaking family, my parents were vigorous in encouraging me to read more English books.   I remembered clearly how dreadful it was to go to the library and was forced to borrow a minimum of 4 English books!

When I entered primary school, English language was just another subject that I have to pass in order to move on to the next level.  I have yet to understand the importance of grasping English language.  Hence, English language was never my forte subject back in primary and secondary school. I had difficulties tackling the comprehension questions, doing summaries and my most hated component of all; composition. I hated composition because my vocabulary is limited and I do not know how to express the story well in an essay writing form. However, with a lot of guidance from my teachers and intense practices from the ten year series, (trust me that book helps a lot) I managed to scrape through the o-levels’ English with a C5. Of course, it was not a fantastic grade but it was a great achievement for me.

At tertiary levels, English language is no longer a compulsory subject and in Singapore there is also a slang called “Singlish”.

Singlish has become a habitual routine for me and this affected my proper command of English by using the wrong grammar and poor sentence structures.

However, my English language learning journey does not stop at tertiary level as I am constantly broadening my vocabulary through reference books while doing school assignments and occasionally read the newspaper articles online.

Edited on: 11/11/2015 at 0052 hours.

Edited on: 16/11/2015 at 2133 hours.
Edited on: 21/11/2015 at 2200 hours