First look: My orientation experience at NUS

This is what orientation should be! A series of lecture-style briefings on everything you need to know about being a student in that particular institution.

Not a bunch of silly games and mindless cheering which achieve nothing except make everyone fall sick from excessive laryngeal utilisation, physical exertion, and prolonged close contact with a large number of people.

Or worse, thinly disguised orgies like the scandal that erupted last year.

There will always be those who enjoy such "fun" orientation camps but I definitely am not one of them. That's why I didn't sign myself up for any.

Instead, I derived great satisfaction from the two days of orientation talks that were held on 26 and 27 July.

The topics covered ran the gamut, from bidding for modules to graduation requirements, library resources and even fire safety.

Did you know that a standard American living room needs only 48 seconds to get completely engulfed in flames due to a small spark in the lighting on a Christmas tree? I didn't either, until the presenter for the fire safety talk showed this video.

I don't have the faintest idea what the point was in telling us that. Maybe to demonstrate the awesome destructive power of fire so that we'll pay more heed to the danger?

Anyway, between the sessions, there was time for me to check out the nearest canteen, called The Deck. I had my first taste of sustenance from it as an official NUS student: a cup of fresh pure apple juice ($1.50). Delicious and reasonably priced!

I really liked the orientation talks. Much of the information can easily be found online but there's nothing like hearing it directly from the people in charge themselves.

Now I just have to anxiously await the results of my Qualifying English Test (QET) and hope I don't get forced into taking extra remedial modules... Then the excitement begins when the bidding exercise opens!

5 food-related things I miss from my childhood days

What would life be without the rose-coloured tint of nostalgia?

I may not even be 20 yet, but I'm certainly old enough to have experienced lots of things that are now consigned to the history books.

And being the glutton that I am, I thought I'd compile a listicle of foodie memories that I particularly treasure from my early years.

Let's get into it, shall we?

#1 KFC @ Kallang had free flow of soft drinks

I used to have horse-riding therapy at the Riding for the Disabled Association (Singapore), and after the sessions my parents and I would often go to the KFC branch near the National Stadium for dinner. That outlet was unique because it was housed in a standalone building of its own, with an attached open-air carpark and drive-through counter. But the best part was it had free flow soft drinks! It doesn't have that anymore though. Nowadays, finding a food joint offering free flow soft drinks makes me want to dance a little jig because it's so rare!

#2 Hans @ Pickering Street

Although I didn't eat at the recently defunct flagship store of the Hans Cafe franchise very much, it still holds good memories for me. Their Hainanese pork chop and curry chicken were the stuff of dreams, and strolling around the area and seeing how conservation shophouses and modern glass structures meshed together into a harmonious explosion of aesthetic wonder provided such a great complement to the whole ambiance.

#3 Mussel Guys @ VivoCity

When I was in primary and secondary school, which by the way was an extremely long time ago, VivoCity was my favourite post-exam hangout spot. On a couple of occasions, my father took me to eat at this small casual-dining restaurant called The Mussel Guys. The food there was comforting and I remember they had a killer rendang dish, as well as a lip-smacking lobster bisque. Sitting in front of the full-height glass windows, enjoying the view of Sentosa without having to go outside into the afternoon sun... That's my definition of a perfectly relaxing day out.

#4 Farms

Going even further back, to my time in kindergarten, I recall going on a field trip to the local farms around the vicinity of Lim Chu Kang. We visited the quail farm and Hay Dairies goat farm. At the quail farm, I sampled some quails' eggs and a herbal quail soup that was so delicious I went back for seconds (there was more than enough because my classmates all recoiled at the taste of the soup). And at Hay Dairies I began my love affair with goats' milk that continues until today (I benefited again from the squeamishness of my peers as I got to claim all their unwanted milk). Unfortunately, the quail farm was closed to the public after the emergence of bird flu, and I will soon no longer be able to buy local goats' milk, due to the government's utterly heinous, loathsome and despicable plan to bulldoze all the farms to make way for more housing to accommodate foreigners we don't actually need, and more training grounds for their beloved white-elephant excuse for an armed forces. (drops mic, steps off soapbox)

#5 Buffets had fewer strings attached

It seems very common now for buffet restaurants to impose all sorts of terms and conditions such as time limits. I even saw an advertisement on Facebook the other day in which a Japanese buffet restaurant touted its special offer for our 52nd National Day, boasting free flow alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages... for the first 52 minutes of your meal. How corny is that! Back when I was a kid, a buffet was a buffet. Pay one price, sit there and stuff your face until nothing else can go in. Why do you have to go and make things so complicated? (Avril Lavigne, 2002)

The sad truth of the F&B scene in Singapore is that small operators come and go and even the big companies have to tighten their belts every now and then in response to high rentals and labour costs. So uncovering a little gem of a foodie paradise in your neighbourhood can sometimes prove to be a dangerous game. Who knows whether the place will survive a few months down the road? It's quite likely that it'll close down after a short while, leaving you tearfully distraught and questioning the meaning of your existence in this world.

On the flip side, there's always ample opportunity for new entrants to the market, or even for old friends to make their triumphant returns. I'm too young to have eaten at A&W before they left Singapore, but now they're coming back I'll get to try it!

Social media: the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of online behaviour

As some of my regular readers may know, I have an interest in the field of communications and intend to further my studies in that area. I plan to get a job in the industry too, after graduating from university.

So I thought in this post I would talk a bit about online etiquette. This is something that I think is quite lacking, not only in Singapore but all over the internet in general.

As we all know, technology has made radical changes in the way we live our lives, and will continue to do so. Of importance to the communications practitioner is how it has transformed the way we transfer information, interact with one another, and air our opinions in the public sphere.

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are no doubt blessings in many ways. For example, in the context of Singapore politics, alternative points of view which may have previously been easily censored by the establishment can now be quickly and widely distributed through Facebook sharing. This has resulted in an unprecedented pushing of the "OB markers", such that freedom of expression and room for debate do exist to a certain degree today. In order to avoid being left behind, or worse, labelled as blatant state-controlled propaganda mouthpieces, mainstream media outlets like The Straits Times have taken care to present both sides when discussing issues of national importance such as the Little India riot (Kaur, Tan, & Dutta, 2016). This demonstrates the power of social media. Besides breaking down barriers and opening up taboo topics, it takes the lead over traditional media sources in charting the future direction of discourse and the exchange of ideas.

However, there is a dark side to this unfettered ability to speak one's mind for the world to see. The convenience of typing out messages on the go, coupled with the anonymity afforded by the virtual space, has made it more tempting than ever to be abusive towards others. Unfortunately, this causes levels of antisocial behaviour that are unacceptably high.

Flaming is a word that has taken on a completely different meaning in the modern times. It used to conjure images of things burning, such as a house on fire or a juicy beef patty on the grill. But now it connotes hate and anger directed at another person, brought to life as a stream of vitriol, typically delivered by a set of fingertips dancing across a keyboard in a dreadful rhythm.

Very often, it is easy to forget that on the other end of the connection lies a living, breathing human being just like us. As a participant in Mishna, Saini, and Solomon (2009) said: "... it might be easier to (say more hurtful comments) because you do not see how much they are hurt by it.”

The problem is even worse for service providers, companies and organisations that have a presence on social media. Because of their "non-human" appearance, frustrated customers and members of the public do not hesitate to hurl torrents of frightful language at them. What everyone fails to realise is that behind every Page is an administrator or group of administrators. Yes! People, as in actual humans, do go through those messages, and feel the pain from them.

I wish people would be more civilised on the internet. The golden rule "Treat others as you want to be treated" applies to our dealings online as well. Before pressing Send on anything, put yourself in the shoes of your counterparty. If you were them, would the message bring about negative emotions? If so, think about how you can phrase your message in a more constructive manner. Robust arguments are always welcome as long as they are conducted in an orderly fashion. That means no personal attacks, swearing, or irrelevant statements.

And please, have a little sympathy for administrators of organisational social media accounts. I have seen first-hand how that job wears people down mentally so bad that it starts to cause their physical health to deteriorate too. They have to be on alert 24/7 thanks to the omnipresence of social media, and constantly walk on eggshells as one wrong move could result in a massive public relations disaster. Hate-filled messages just add insult to injury and are totally unnecessary.

Of course you can give negative feedback about an organisation, but do it with tactful diplomacy. Instead of saying "Your staff's attitude sucks. You are a useless piece of sh*t organisation! Just close down already.", say something like "I was disappointed with the level of service your staff provided. Their dour faces were unpleasant to look at and ruined the ambiance. Perhaps you could consider sending them for some customer service training." Notice how the latter feedback pointed out the problem specifically, and suggested steps for improvement. The former was just insulting.

Given my career aspirations, I take pains to be nice when corresponding with organisations online, as I know that one day, I might be the one on the opposite side of the conversation. So when I am finished talking to a particular organisation for the time being, I always make it a point to thank the person behind the account. Like I said earlier, the work is not easy, so if I can bring a smile to that person's face with a few extra words of appreciation and encouragement, why not? I would certainly love receiving such a message if our roles were reversed.

Our actions online have a very real impact in the offline world. We may not see it and its effects may not be immediate, but believe me when I say it is there. People have lost their lives because of events that happened on the internet. Social media has so much potential for good... But it can also be used for evil.

Which side will you stand on?

References:

Kaur, S., Tan, N., & Dutta, M. J. (2016). Media, migration and politics: The coverage of the Little India Riot in The Straits Times in Singapore. Journal of Creative Communications, 11(1), 27-43.

Mishna, F., Saini, M., & Solomon, S. (2009). Ongoing and online: Children and youth's perceptions of cyber bullying. Children and Youth Services Review, 31(12), 1222-1228.