I just finished overnight KTV with friends from China. It's 6am in the morning. We all looked tired.
Summer palace
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Saturday, September 27, 2008
Beijing
I just finished overnight KTV with friends from China. It's 6am in the morning. We all looked tired.Summer palace
Evaluating intercultural communication
Intercultural situation:
I went to Beijing for internship from May to July. When I talked to my friend in Beijing, Peter, even though we both spoke mandarin, his accent and slang was totally different from mine. He spoke too fast that there was no way to differentiate word by word. This applies to his friends too.
Another incident that I observed was that when my companion, Jane, and Peter were discussing songs. Jane said the singer, Liu Ruo Ying, is from Taiwan rather than China. However, Peter immediately retorted that Taiwan is part of China, hence Liu Ruo Ying is also from China. As such, I could sense that Peter really strongly believed Taiwan has been a part China all the while. In their “history” course book, Taiwan has been conveyed to them a part of China and it is not an independent country. However, for me and my friend as a foreigner, we do not have a strong conscience that Taiwan should be viewed as China. This is attributed to different educational messages has been passed down in course book, hence me and Jane has always deemed Taiwan and China as two nations.
I also noticed that the awareness of saving energy in Beijing was really high. Usage of air-conditioner in lab was controlled by a PHD student. It was summer, we were not allowed to switch on air-conditioner in lab even though we were sweating profusely while doing experiment. Unless there are a lot of people doing work in the same lab, then only air conditioner can be switched on. I was starting to think how blissful we are studying in NUS in which air-conditioner is switched on at any point of time. Another example is the control in usage of hot water. In halls of NUS, hot water supply is available at all times. However, in China hostel, hot water supply was limited to 3-4 hours in the morning and evening respectively.
Another scenario which I recognized accidentally was their casual dressing. I would segmentalize the way they dressed into three groups: Korean-based, low-profile, high-profile dresses. Due to vicinity of Korea, Korean-style dresses are a fad there. Usually, Korean dresses were sold at a higher price compared to the other dresses. Low-profile dresses were dresses with laces and the colours of dresses were not bright. These were usually worn by majority of conservative people. High-profile dresses were those of which expose most parts of bodies such as low-cut dresses. These were usually worn by teenagers and some adults.
Cultural norms are rules for behaviour in a specific situation by a certain group of people. Values identify those objects, conditions or characteristics that members of the certain group of people consider important, good or bad. Given the definition stated here, the notions that Taiwan as an independent country and high awareness of saving energy are values which China people view them as something that is true and important for them while foreigners do not. The dressing and different slang in mandarin are cultural norms.
Fundamentals of effective communication:
Before we visit any country, we should do our homework by profiling the country’s culture norm of society, taboos, dressing, non verbal communication, laws, and value system. We could learn a few simple languages to show our interest in them and respect for them too. We then try to adopt their culture while we are in their country even though we might feel unused to it. Next, we should comply with their law. Vice versa, we should be patient and considerate if there is any disparity in opinions. If we ever did an erroneous task, we should apologize to seek for forgiveness. Lastly, it’s best to avoid sensitive topics in our conversations as these might inevitably hurt others’ feelings.
I went to Beijing for internship from May to July. When I talked to my friend in Beijing, Peter, even though we both spoke mandarin, his accent and slang was totally different from mine. He spoke too fast that there was no way to differentiate word by word. This applies to his friends too.
Another incident that I observed was that when my companion, Jane, and Peter were discussing songs. Jane said the singer, Liu Ruo Ying, is from Taiwan rather than China. However, Peter immediately retorted that Taiwan is part of China, hence Liu Ruo Ying is also from China. As such, I could sense that Peter really strongly believed Taiwan has been a part China all the while. In their “history” course book, Taiwan has been conveyed to them a part of China and it is not an independent country. However, for me and my friend as a foreigner, we do not have a strong conscience that Taiwan should be viewed as China. This is attributed to different educational messages has been passed down in course book, hence me and Jane has always deemed Taiwan and China as two nations.
I also noticed that the awareness of saving energy in Beijing was really high. Usage of air-conditioner in lab was controlled by a PHD student. It was summer, we were not allowed to switch on air-conditioner in lab even though we were sweating profusely while doing experiment. Unless there are a lot of people doing work in the same lab, then only air conditioner can be switched on. I was starting to think how blissful we are studying in NUS in which air-conditioner is switched on at any point of time. Another example is the control in usage of hot water. In halls of NUS, hot water supply is available at all times. However, in China hostel, hot water supply was limited to 3-4 hours in the morning and evening respectively.
Another scenario which I recognized accidentally was their casual dressing. I would segmentalize the way they dressed into three groups: Korean-based, low-profile, high-profile dresses. Due to vicinity of Korea, Korean-style dresses are a fad there. Usually, Korean dresses were sold at a higher price compared to the other dresses. Low-profile dresses were dresses with laces and the colours of dresses were not bright. These were usually worn by majority of conservative people. High-profile dresses were those of which expose most parts of bodies such as low-cut dresses. These were usually worn by teenagers and some adults.
Cultural norms are rules for behaviour in a specific situation by a certain group of people. Values identify those objects, conditions or characteristics that members of the certain group of people consider important, good or bad. Given the definition stated here, the notions that Taiwan as an independent country and high awareness of saving energy are values which China people view them as something that is true and important for them while foreigners do not. The dressing and different slang in mandarin are cultural norms.
Fundamentals of effective communication:
Before we visit any country, we should do our homework by profiling the country’s culture norm of society, taboos, dressing, non verbal communication, laws, and value system. We could learn a few simple languages to show our interest in them and respect for them too. We then try to adopt their culture while we are in their country even though we might feel unused to it. Next, we should comply with their law. Vice versa, we should be patient and considerate if there is any disparity in opinions. If we ever did an erroneous task, we should apologize to seek for forgiveness. Lastly, it’s best to avoid sensitive topics in our conversations as these might inevitably hurt others’ feelings.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Potential Research Project Topics
Observation:
Environmental pollution has been a major issue which is detrimental to living organisms, ecosystem and the earth yet it has not been addressed appropriately. Sources of pollution may come from development in technology indirectly such as industrial wastes, side products of manufacturing, war, and so on. Given the robust technology, economy is able to boost without difficulty. However, this technological development has resulted in pollution indirectly. As such, there is an undeniable relationship among economy, technology development and environment. This raises a question: Will economy boost without progression in technology? Let’s assume no, and then are we able to mitigate pollution? The answer is obviously no. Moreover, in today’s context, technology is changing every 3 to 4 years. In this sense, we have to find other ways to reduce pollution because advancement in technology is inevitable. There are a lot of green measures that are being carried out nowadays such as recycling. However, it is still inadequate to address this issue. One of possible solutions to this issue may be biomimicry. Biomimicry is the study of new discipline that studies nature's best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. In biomimicry, we look at nature as model, measure, and mentor. For example, we could mimic absorption of carbon dioxide by plants by producing polycarbonate using carbon dioxide. Polycarbonate can then be used to replace plastics in various areas of usage. Furthermore, polycarbonate is biodegradable and thus reduces pollution to our environment. But how effective is biomimicry?
Environmental pollution has been a major issue which is detrimental to living organisms, ecosystem and the earth yet it has not been addressed appropriately. Sources of pollution may come from development in technology indirectly such as industrial wastes, side products of manufacturing, war, and so on. Given the robust technology, economy is able to boost without difficulty. However, this technological development has resulted in pollution indirectly. As such, there is an undeniable relationship among economy, technology development and environment. This raises a question: Will economy boost without progression in technology? Let’s assume no, and then are we able to mitigate pollution? The answer is obviously no. Moreover, in today’s context, technology is changing every 3 to 4 years. In this sense, we have to find other ways to reduce pollution because advancement in technology is inevitable. There are a lot of green measures that are being carried out nowadays such as recycling. However, it is still inadequate to address this issue. One of possible solutions to this issue may be biomimicry. Biomimicry is the study of new discipline that studies nature's best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. In biomimicry, we look at nature as model, measure, and mentor. For example, we could mimic absorption of carbon dioxide by plants by producing polycarbonate using carbon dioxide. Polycarbonate can then be used to replace plastics in various areas of usage. Furthermore, polycarbonate is biodegradable and thus reduces pollution to our environment. But how effective is biomimicry?
General research questions:
1. Will most of current research projects in Singapore lead to pollution?
2. Will biomimicry effectively reduce pollution?
3. How does biomimicry help to reduce pollution?
4. Has government in Singapore been encouraging and implementing biomimicry in research centers and institutions?
5. Is biomimicry sustainable? What other factors do we have to compromise in order to achieve biomimicry in real world?
6. Is there any company implementing biomimcry in Singapore?
Hypothesis:
Biomimicry is the solution to mitigate pollution in today’s context.
Problem Statement:
The objective of this research study is to analyze whether biomimicry can effectively reduce pollution to our environment and whether Singapore has adopted biomimicry approach in research centres or institutes.
Purpose Statement:
The objective of this report is to inform researchers, scientists and Singapore government the current status in research and increase public awareness that biomimicry serve as a guide in research so as to achieve our global goal of saving our earth.
Purpose of survey:
Survey has to be carried out among researchers and scientists working in Singapore research centers such as A-Star to find out numbers of research projects which are related to biomimicry. Survey can also be carried out among NUS science students to find out their responce and acknowledge them about biomimicry so that this could serve as a guide and direction for them in explore in future research.
Interesting websites to check out more about biomimicry:
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