Final Reflection

There's a thin line between love and hate.

The line above sums up my feelings towards the module ES2007S, until our very last lesson on Thursday, 14/4.

In the first few weeks of the semester, my feelings towards the module were very mixed. Slowly, as the semester entered the mid-term phase, the scale started tipping towards 'hate'. Balancing CCA commitments, the rest of my schoolwork with the work of the module was taxing, especially when all of the above were not going very well. However, it was too late to drop the module and I remembered a senior who took this module last semester along with his UROPS research and 5 other modules.

I persevered. It paid off. We entered our proposal and oral presentation phase which was undoubtedly one of my favourite parts of the module. I got to learn so much from Ms Lim, my fellow classmates and especially Team Planet. It is hard to express in so many words how understanding you were towards my schedule and how accepting you were of my suggestions. I don't know how I'll find another group with such awesome team dynamics; you guys were the best.

On that note, I have two other key take-backs from ES2007S. One is the importance of effective communication and how it is a tool that everyone can take to its full potential. Somehow, most of us have not realised this until now; I've wondered whether that's because effective communication takes time and effort, something we're not willing to spend. Having had the opportunity to learn these skills, I will definitely apply them to other parts of my life.

My other take-back is that we influence each other. I never thought it would be possible for a teacher to get in my head but it happened; I started hearing Ms Lim's reminders: "Is this concrete enough?" "Are you smiling?" "How will this appear to URA?" "Is this concise enough?" I thought I was going crazy until I found that my teammates were having the same experience. I had other people in my head too:

Peizi - the systematic one

Ikhsan - the resourceful one

Jeremy - the one who always goes, "I know! What about this!"

Zab - the playful but professional presenter

Thomas - the laidback one

Vee Nee - the cheerful, motherly one

Peh Joo - the realistic and meticulous one

Tommy - the joker who always offers me Eclipse mints

Cai Jie - the 'cool' one who is also an ah-beng

Keefe - the friendly one

Thank you for populating my head classmates! Haha. But the close-knit nature of our small class has shown me that I can always learn from others; similarly, I hope I can transfer the skills I've learnt to my peers.

Finally, our last lesson was a very special one as it showed all that is different about ES2007S: it is one of the few, non-core, intensive modules that we still like at the end of the day. I think it also brought up up how Ms Lim embodies the spirit of teaching beyond the lesson content, especially with our last exercise. On that note, I'd like to thank Ms Lim for making my journey in professional communication such an interesting and fulfilling one.

After that last session, the scales tipped toward 'love'. Taking this module has truly been an unforgettable experience.