Working as a group

Like the saying goes : 2 heads are always better than 1. I am in favour of working in groups as compared to working alone. I find that working in groups make my process of learning more efficient and productive. However the need for proper group communication in this case is thus very important.

Working in a group results in members becoming more interdependent. This however may be a good sign, for it means that seperate individuals have become a functioning whole. Having a strong and more cohesive sense of membership towards the group proves a stronger collective identity in the team. Only when a collection of individuals become interdependent, begin to share a sense of identity and closeness, and learn how to work together for a common goal, they have become a group. [group synergy]

Disadvantages of working in groups include: social-loafing and free-riding.

Social-loafing occurs when members do not fufil their work potential and do not give their best for the group.

Free-riding is a process where group productivity decreases due to disjunctive tasks in which one does not complete the task assignned to each individual.

Sometimes certain tasks are too tough/ the work load may be too heavy for a person to complete, working as cohesive group can provide support and commitment. Support- People around you will be supportive and behind you. Lest you feel helpless and lonely. Commitment- Working as a group not only affects an individual, but also the entire group. Thus, one has to be more committed in order not to be blacklisted by the other groupmates in any case!

When working as a group, we have to ensure that tasks have been divided equally among every group member. This is done so to prevent the chances of social-loafing and free-riding to occur. Depending on each individual, members should undertake tasks (eg. infomationseeker, opinion seeker, elaborator, coordinator etc) and maintenance roles (encourager, harmonizer, follower etc) .Each individual may be better at different tasks, therefore, working hand in hand as a group will help to maximise the results shown at the end of the day. Members should refrain from playing negative roles as it generally affects the groups performance and outline dysfunctional and negative roles.

A group must not only concentrate on working on its task, but should also spare a thought for its members feelings. They should respect each other’s opinion and be sensitive towards people’s feelings.  A group should not only work hard, but also work SMART. (:

slimming down.down.down.

Having a perfect body shape (without going on constant diets/ having to watch one’s diet) is something almost everyone would desire for!

The above video clip is a TV commercial which shows a couple being envious of and distracted by other peoples hot bodies. It is one which clearly portrays the effectiveness and the great wonders one can experience after consuming that particular brand of slimming pills.

This is a form of communication through which the media address large, diverse audiences. Contact in this case is indirect, which means the receivers have a mind of their own. They choose to interpret and believe in the media on their own account. In this case, resonance is present, whereby the audiences’ everyday scenario may match those they view on TV, creating a “double dosage” effect. Thus the audiences’ attention are easily captured, giving them the impression that if you do not want to end up in a state like this, consume these pills.

 This commercial ad. has the 3 characteristics of media message – 1) instituitonal sources,2) invisible receivers and 3) interposed channels. The media has played an important role in out daily lives. It may not influence us by telling us what to do, but what to think about. Media influence is dependent on the direct experiences the public has with the issue addressed by the media – obtrusive or unobtrusive issues.

Though, some people may see slimming pills as dangerous, others may be taken in by the advertisement, creating only a moderate effect. -there are both passive (believe in the media easily) and active audiences (who choose to listen to what they want to).

I feel that changing people’s mindset about something through different mediums is very important as companies are doing a business and having a greater number of consumers for their products is more than necessary. Today, audiences are active with the ability to resist media messages. Therefore, it is important for various firms to be able to attract more consumers as well as to put the message across clearly.

Thai + Japanese = ?

The clip above shows communication between a Japanese and a Thai. Due to the thai cultures and the way of pronouncing words, the Japanese lady is having a rather tough time teaching her (the Thai lady) certain Japanese words.

Culture affects the way we communicate.The world is shrinking daily. We cannot afford to ignore people from other cultures. However, communication can sometimes becomes more difficult when people do not share the same attitudes, beliefs and values. Through our language habits, people from different language communities may perceive the world differently.

Barriers of intercultural communication includes attitudes such as prejudice, ethnocentrism and a refusal to acknowledge differences. Human nature is highly susceptical to social and cultural differences. Thus getting people of different cultures to change theire view/mindset about something may not seem as easy as it may sound.

Intercultural communication widens our field of choices and stimulates out imagination. It also allows the development of an intercultural identity, a sense of belonging.

 Being comfortable with the diversity may not be easy for some people. However, to be able to communicate effectively, we should try to be ‘open’, and see the world from different perspective. This means being aware of other cultural conventions and familarizing oneself with basic values and customs. One should also have some basic knowledge of cultural issues or by challenging stereotypes etc. 

why we talk like that?!

Watching the clip below will let you know more about the language used in Singapore (=

Language plays a very important role in our lives. Language is a powerful tool which allows us to abstract and store experiences and share them with others. Allowing us to make contact, influence, regulate, persuade and dominate one another. Language takes different form and people communicate in different ways. Thus it is amazing how people from all over the world are able to communicate without difficulty. People who share a common language may not necessarily speak in the same manner. 

Language change to meet one’s needs, culture and expressing the values to its users. Forms of language include dialects, pidgins, creoles, jargon, Lingua Francas, Argot and taboo. Take for example the English language can vary in pronunciation and vocabulary. Both British and Singaporeans speak English.  But i am sure one will definitely be able to distinguish between both.Singaporeans are said to have developed their own brand of English as well as their own way of speaking it.

Singapore English= Slang + English = Singlish

Some people may complain that Singporeans speak ‘broken English’….

But then again, its partly because of the way we speak that makes Singapore, a little red dot, unique and more ‘prominent’.  & I am proud of that! =D 

 

EEeeks~! GRUESOME.

*BEWARE – not suitable for people with a weak heart!

 Lately, i have been receiving emails regarding the “in-sight of china fur trade”…WATCH the movie if you haven seen it before. & I guess the movie is enough to speak about the cruel process of obtaining the fur from LIVE animals!

imagine the pain the animals are going through…

imagine the sharp blade piercing through those layers of skin…

imagine being thrown and slammed onto the ground…

imagine the pain of being ripped up while you are alive…! etc.

All those MUST have hurt so badly!!

I like animals and watching the way the farmers ill-treat the poor little creatures makes my heart ache. This is absolutely awful. Who in the right state of mind would have done that to those animals?! I couldnt bear to finish watching the entire clip.

Nonverbal communication plays an important role in this videoclip. Nonverbal displays -( body movements and gesture [kinesics], facial expression and eye contact ) flow into one another without the discrete beginnings and endings that characterize words.  These animals may not be able to speak, BUT just look at their facial expressions, body language and the pitiful look in their eyes- with their heads crouched low, curling itself up etc. It sure does tell alot.

Therefore i feel that speaking to someone over the phone is not as ‘good’ as speaking face to face with that person. One can tell if another is really alright through their actions. Voices play a part. but who knows, it may be deceiving.

This clip just shows that fur farmers are heartless ‘MONSTERS’. We should actually be protecting these animals from extinction and treating them nicely, like how we want to be treated.

I urge people NOT to buy animal fur. The only way to prevent such unimaginable is NEVER to wear ANY fur…

is it really FOREVER?

  - Will you be mine? <3

I can’t help but look at this picture and wonder if there could possibly be a better illustration of true love?  ” Darling, I will love you forever.” “Till death do us apart.” All these just sound so cliche as in actual fact, does love really last forever?!

Love cant really be explained. But i believe it takes two people to keep a relationship going. Both parties must have that sense of commitment and the determination to keep things going.

The necessities of what is required to maitain a good relationship includes – communication, honesty,trust, forgiving, compromising, initiating, disclosing etc.

Communication -To me, this is the most important factor in maintaining a good relationship. Communication comes in various ways, eg. constant bickering, normal nice talks etc.If one cant communicate, then they wont be able to translate love in their own way.

Trust- We should trust the other party and give them sufficient space to have spend time with their other friends, as well as the right of making other new friends.

Honesty- We have to be honest with each other as we would not like our partners to be keeping things from us too. Never build a relationship on lies.

Forgiving- Life is about giving and taking. Everyone has flaws and we shoulf learn to accept them for who they are. Being more forgiving allows us to live happier as we do not need to feel bad about holding grudges against others.

Compromising- Things do not always go the way we want it to be. So giving in to others may save a whole lot of trouble.

Initiating-Guys are normally the ones expected to be more initiative, however, times are changing. I feel that girls too should have some initiative.Being known as “WE”, i feel that we should not always expect guys to BE THE ONE.  

Disclosing- Through disclosure, one can actually learn alot from  and about the other party. Knowing a person better will help in maintaining a relationship as both parties can roughly gauge what to expect from each other. Disclosures also give couples a topic to talk about.  

Being loving and everlasting couples is not just telling the other party “I Love you” everyday, but PROVING it. We should learn to appreciate even the little things in life and not forsaking it. The above mentioned may be easier said then done. However we should try and work hard to achieve our “future”.  We cannot predict what will happen the next day. So treasure your love ones before its too late to regret! (:

mocca advertisement

I bet every one should have seen the ‘mocca’ advertisement, if not, at least heard of it. Here is the video if you just happen to be missing out on things !

Mocca Bodybuilder Ad – Guy Selling House

The advertisement was done to show the dynamism in advertising. By using the irrational incompatibility of a bodybuilder selling his house as a technique to both draw laughter and advertise Mocca.com’s services.

It might be an interesting way of selling one’s house. As how often do you even see advertisements like this? It has created a lasting impression in people.. EVERYONE i knew seemed to remember this ad and when it comes to advertising, we say “YOU GOT IT!!”

 Nonverbal cues expand upon and clarify verbal messages.In this the process of:

Repeating(the nonverbal message repeats the verbal message) has occured. [the man points in the same direction as he has stated] 

Complementing ( the nonverbal message modifies the verbal message, letting the receiver know how to take it) also took place.

Accenting – nonverbal cues emphasize part of the verbal message [ the guy was rather expressive as he played around with different tones. He did not talk in a monotone way]
But on the whole, i just didnt really like these advertisments. Pardon me for commenting, but i think it really makes no sense, and it is rather “stupid” >< I feel that the man’s skimpy attire is totally disgusting. This supposedly ‘fun and humorous’ way has definitely managed to catch the attention of others, but it may be highly offensive to others and harmful to the society. Other cultures may not be very a “open” – they do not really like the idea of showing half-naked people on television programmes. Therefore, we should actually spare a thoughg for them when broadcasting advertisements.

As advertisements are open to viewers of all ages, they play a very important role in one’s life. Thus shouldnt advertisments be something more decent?? I am sure there ARE other ways of making an impression last … (:

Scare yourself silly – Body#19

<Movie review – Body#19>

Movie Plot-

Chon, a medical student, starts seeing a psychotherapist after dreaming about a woman he had only met once in a restaurant.

In his dreams, a mysterious man murders her, slices her body into pieces and flushes them down the toilet. The dreams haunt him even when he is awake and eventually he feels as if his own body is being dissected and carved up by a surgical knife. Slowly, the terrifying images take control of him and he believes that the dead woman is sending him messages through these nightmares. However, these are not messages for him, they are meant for her murderer and they speak of revenge.

[Extracted from http://www.gv.com.sg/moviedetails/gv_moviedetails_4129.jsp ] 

What attracted me to watch this show was because it was another show by the Director of “Shutter”. But this movie is nothing close to “Shutter”. The creators of this movie focused too much on the technical aspect of it. Some camera movements were just there to showboat the 3D elements.

Body #19 has indeed done well in terms of its storyline.( Fresh and brilliant! ) This movie never makes you want to leave your eyes away from the screen. Everything is linked, the storyline and stuff, missing a bit would be such a pity!!  The plot of this movie is unique and good as it had a great twist towards the end. I like the ending and i find it superb as one could never guess what ‘s the worst! However, due to the translation from Thai to English, some questions might have been left unanswered for English-speaking audience, which in turn may make it quite confusing at times.  

Having good sound effects added a bonus point to the movie. The fantastic sound effects & tension-building scenes put one at the edge of his chair, getting ready to spring up in surprise anytime…  

 The use of both verbal and non-verbal communication has been very effective. As certain scenes of the movie, eg, through the facial expressions of a girl ( one of the ‘witch’s student) – when she was finding the cat, one could tell that she was afraid without her having to voice it out. Chon’s sister struggling frantically when Chon tried to strangle her. One could see that she was afraid of death and that she was rather angry with her brother who had been acting strangely those few days.

Verbal communications- The drama of speech. Words and language used in the movie allow the objective and message of the movie to be conveyed to the audience. I feel tha because it is a Thai movie, slangs and jargons which were used in the movie would have lost its meaning after much translation.

Conclusion - overall an “OK” movie. Storyline and sound effects is definitely worth it, just not those graphics. (=