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.
Effective Communication _ Mardhiy
Friday, December 4, 2015
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.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
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.
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.
- Edited on 09 Dec 2015, 10:30am
Saturday, November 28, 2015
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.
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
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/
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
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/
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
http://www.legrand.com/EN/sustainable-development-description_12847.html
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
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 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
Monday, November 16, 2015
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!
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
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