Blog Post #4 - Evaluating Intercultural Behavior

My blog is to share how different the Westerners and local people are, based on my own experience and observation.

I used to go jogging in the morning at West Coast Park and see others in the park doing the same as well. Since it was normally at 6.30 am, there were very few joggers around. Those joggers were mainly around middle age, causing me to think the youths have to go to school early during weekdays.

For the sake of easy interpretation, I will make a hypothesis here by assuming the Asian joggers that I met in West Coast Park are Singaporeans and the Western joggers are Westerners. What I would like to share here is from my own experience and it may be true. Undeniably, there are always exceptions.

I have a habit of looking at a jogger’s eyes when he or she is approaching from the opposite direction. The purpose I look at them is to prepare myself to greet them “good morning” as I feel happy meeting someone who like to jog in the same fresh early morning as I. However, from my observation, I shall conclude that the majority of Singaporean joggers will not respond to you or they will deliberately avert their eyes in another direction (at the ground, the tree, the other objects, etc.) while they jog pass me. Whereas for the Westerners, most of them are willing to maintain eye contact with me and greet me in advance or reply to me, making me feel better.

I understand that people have no obligation to reply to me as I was just a stranger to them, but I feel that it would be good and polite to maintain eye contact, or at least reply to me when I greeted them. I shared this with my friends and most of them stated that the reasons may be the other joggers have to rush for work later. There would not be any time to pause and reply to me, or they did not want to affect their breathing during jogging.


For the eye contact, I could explain it by applying the non-verbal gesture that we have learnt from the previous session in class (http://www.csupomona.edu/~tassi/gestures.htm). Asians tend to avoid direct eye contact as they think this is not respectful to others, whereas Westerners think that it is necessary to maintain direct eye contact as it shows your confidence and respect to others.

These are the cultural differences that cause us to be so different in the way of communication. Maybe I should just give my morning greetings to Westerners and a mere head nod to Asians starting from my next jog onwards.

Here to share with you a interesting picture to illutrate the physical differences between races.
http://www.filination.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/78256645.jpg

The Android demo/presentation by Steve Horowi

A talk from Engineering Director of Google
There are lotsa amazing and interesting function in that phone.
I like most the Compass function at the end of the talk ^^
Share with you here ~

Blog Post #3 - Potential Research Project Topics

(blog post updated on 06 September 2008, 1751pm)

Research Question
What do NUS students think about green campus?

Research Background
Green campus is an idea come from green building, as you may notice that currently Singapore has a trend to develop green buildings in residential housings, commercial buildings as well as industrial factories. (eg. Terminal 3, National Library, Republic Polytechnic etc. )

Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore has launched a rating system in 2005 to evaluate a building for its environmental impact and performance, namely BCA Green Mark.

Research Introduction
I would like to introduce this green campus concept to NUS for our group to research. There are many ideas and principles that we can apply to our campus and make NUS an energy efficient and water efficient campus. We can raise the awareness among students and staffs in NUS to reuse, recycle and reduce our resources used in order to minimize the impacts to our environment.

It is much easier to start implanting the green concepts to our potential youths in the campus as this is the place where each of us are intensely learning and growing. Green campus is an important concept to let us know the impacts that we will bring to our environment and hence boost the personal responsibility on our own behaviors.

Possible Ideas To Be Implemented
1) Solar Hot Water System For In-Campus Hostels
2) Solar Cell For Electrical Generation
3) Recycling Programme
4) Provision For Use Of NEWater
5) Waterless Urinal
6) Energy Efficient Lighting
7) Sky Garden
8) Sun Shading Features
etc.

** click at the picture to get a better view of it

Reason For Bring Up This Research Topic
To introduce green campus concept in NUS, we have to know that it will not only bring us environmental benefits, but also economic benefits and social benefits. One of the reasons that our tuition fees and hostel fees are on the rise is because the scarcity of resources in Singapore as well as in order countries, we pay more for the same amount of resources we used last time.

Reason For Attitudinal Survey
An attitudinal survey is necessary for this research topic as it involves not only students in NUS, but also lecturers and staffs. A green campus can only be achieved by the efforts of all of us in NUS. It helps to raise the awareness of green campus in NUS and promote the sense of responsibility among us.

References:
Building and Construction Authority of Singapore (http://www.bca.gov.sg/index.html)

sexual harassment problem

A problem that i would like to share here, wonder if any solution for it. I have heard some of my female friends shared their sexual harassment experiences in school, in office, on bus etc.



Many of them dare not to voice it out or react as what i think they should. The consequences are their bosses or colleagues repeatedly offend them which is quite irritating.

These ladies are either afraid of offending their bosses or colleagues which they need to work together in an organization or worry the molesters may counter back verbally in public which will make the situation in to embarrassment.



Well, I can imagine that this is quite embarrassing when everyone stares at you in the public when you voice it out. However, i feel that if these ladies keep retreating while they get molested will only promote and encourage the sexual harassment in an organization. What do you think ?

The only suggestion that i can give to my friends is to be aware and keep a safety distance whenever working together with their bosses or colleagues which is quite tiring since they have to pay extra attentions. I do encourage them to voice it out if this sexual harassment issue happens repeatedly but none of them dare to do so. What are the suggestions that you can give?

One very good example, there was this guy sitting beside a lady in the bus, he stretched his arm widely to read his newspaper which i guess his arm had accidentally (or purposely) touched the lady's body. The lady asked if he can fold his newspaper into half as she was not comfortable to it. However, that "gentleman" countered back verbally with "Why ?!! you think i like to touch your body ? if this is the case, go back and ask your husband help you !!! " The lady cried immediately. The "gentleman" replied her "you can try to send me to the police station if you want !!" before he alighted the bus right.

For us as a passenger, we might not clear what had happened there since we were just able to hear their conversation and made a guess on the situation since the lady did not speak it out. If the lady had spoken it out that she was molested by that "gentleman" then we might able to take proper actions. (by beating him!! just kidding :p)

Any opinion ? suggestion ?

Picasa 3

Ever wonder how to use photoshop to edit your pics?
always forget what you have learnt from the photoshop workshop ?
Find it hard to crack or download the full version of photoshop from internet for free?
here is the picasa 3 beta version that provide enough editing tools for your pics, you can learn it easily from the user-friendly panel !take a look at the clip below ^^

Can't wait for it now?
get a try of picasa 3 from http://picasa.google.com/intl/en_us/