Reflection

Time to be honest again, the entire Personal Development (PD 1) lessons has been truly enriching and I have learnt a lot from of it.


1. I learned more about my personality. All those cool personality tests and career tests that were unbelievably accurate. LOL.

2. I learned to use Prezi, Powtoon, Showme and few other funny apps to do videos, presentation and animations and stuff.

3. I became a total bad ass blogger. I like to write and it gave me a platform to write


I think that is all that I have learnt. Till we ever meet again :)

Last Frigging Assignment

Never have I feel so relieved.. :)))))

Prezi On My Short Term Goal : Get A Girlfriend

This is only for entertainment purposes. Does not reflect upon my life or my motives :)

S.W.O.T on the Journey to the University of My Choice

Personal Reflection

To me, reflection has always been about genuine honesty. To be able to look at myself in the mirror and confront the truth and embrace it regardless of the implications. So today, you get the privilege to reflect back together with me on one of my life changing / life defining events that took place in my life after 12 years old. BA DUM TSS!!

Describe

When I was 13, I went to a boarding school- MRSM Balik Pulau. I always wanted to go to boarding school. I thought it was really cool and the elite students belong there. But how wrong I was? Very very wrong. So, when I was in boarding school, I was heavily discriminated and insulted by my seniors, peers and heck even my teachers. Being one of the very few Indians in a Malay-Muslim majority school, I did not find it too difficult to fit in. I was naive kid who did not know what racism meant, I did not know what discrimination was and I did not know that I will be judged by anything else except for my academic merits and the content of my character. Once again, I was terribly wrong. Pretty much the entire year has been about my friends and seniors encouraging me to eat beef, embrace Islam, always making fun of my skin colour, just for the record, I am not black okay, I am brown. They would also hurl insults, call me by derogatory terms and even go as far as to say that my beliefs are not real and I will not be allowed access to Heaven just because........ya know, I am not a Muslim. There was a lot of built up tension and emotion in me at such a n young age. I found it tiring to deal with religious extremist views and ignorant bigots.

Interpret

I found it amusing in the beginning but less amusing towards the end. I realized that being a minority leaves you disadvantaged in so many circumstances. I realized that racism has seeped into our mentality. Discrimination exist. People are so flawed that we rather group ourselves with the similarities that we have than to embrace our differences. 1 Malaysia mantra is useless and pathetic. We are segregated and racially polarized in every way possible. We are never truly  united. Race based politics has made us look at every other race as a threat. As you read this, some of you may disagree with me, but its nothing less than the objective truth.


Evaluation

Education is key. I read an article about a study that say that, people have a natural built in bias towards others, which means hey, we are all equally racist. But education has the power to reform that, Our problems exist due to mentality and mentality can evolve, societies can evolve and heck even moralities can evolve. The first step in solving a problem, is to address and accept that there is a problem. We have to lift the taboo ban on topics like racism. We must be able to speak up and against it. So from my point of view, racism is a lose - lose situation. Its a war we have to wage against our own mentality. It is a noble bettle born within when you realise that there is more to a man than the colour of his skin and the land he originates from. Because hey, I did not choose to be Indian. You did not get to choose to be Malay or Chinese or Irish or Indonesian. Its nothing but a biological accident that you have no possible control over. So why judge someone over something that they have no control over?

Plan

As you can tell by now, my plan is to begin with the reformation of mentality. How do I do that? I am not going to launch something on a big scale. All i am going to do is make sure to keep myself and my circle of people who hold on to the principles to reject discrimination of any form towards any group of people. I am going to start with myself. I will judge people only by the contents of their character. I will not credit anyone's ability or disability, good behaviour or bad behaviour to their race or religion. You dont have to be Chinese to be good at Math aaaaand you dont have to be Indian to be good at street dancing. What we are going to be is, very individually deterministic. Ourselves are the creation, expression and manifestation of our own thoughts and ideas. We are so unique like that. With that being said, I hope this was worth your time.


Till we meet again...

Career Test

After answering a series of questions, this is what I got.

Percentage breakdown of your results:

Extraverted (E) 57%Introverted (I) 43%Intuitive (N) 59%Sensing (S) 41%Feeling (F) 60%Thinking (T) 40%Judging (J) 55%Perceiving (P) 45%

ENFJ – Givers and Mentors

Career relevant traits:

• Warmly and genuinely interested in people 
• Value other´s feelings 
• Value organisation and structure 
• Place importance on harmony and creating it. 
• Exceptionally good people skills 
• Dislike impersonal logic and analysis 
• Creative and imaginative 
• Enjoy variety and new challenges 
• Obtain personal satisfaction from helping people 
• Extremely sensitive to criticism and disorder 
• Seek approval from others to feel good about themselves 

As an ENFJ you have a very large range of potential careers which can make you happy. Most importantly you need exist in a supportive and people orientated environment, where you can use your creativity and organisational skills on a variety of differing challenges. This allows the ENFJ a great deal flexibility in their career. 
More than any other personality, you have excellent people skills. You have a talent for brining out the best in others by giving love, support and hospitality. As you encourage and support people, and strive to understand them you attain a great deal of personal satisfaction. 
More than other extraverted personalities you may keep your ideas to yourself, particularly if it interferes with bring out the best in another. You are motivated to help people change their lives for the better, and therefore usually put other’s needs before your own. You are warm, gracious, charming and creative, with a rich insight to what motivates and moves other people. Your special ability to genuinely help people makes the ENFJ a truly valued person. As giving as you are, it is important to remember your own needs as well as those of others. 

Possible Career Paths for the ENFJ:

• Facilitator 
• Consultant 
• Home maker 
• Musician or actor 
• Designer 
• Psychologist 
• Social Worker / Counsellor 
• Teacher 
• Clergy 
• Sales Representative 
• Human Resources 
• Manager 
• Events Coordinator 
• Sales Representative 
• Politicians and Diplomats 
• Writers 

Not too bad, I guess. I think I'm fairly satisfied with this test. Although, I disagree with one thing;  "Extremely sensitive to criticism and disorder "

Personally, I'm very open and receptive towards criticism. I view all sorts of criticism, even harsh and negative ones to be constructive and I always found it easier to embrace my weaknesses than to deny it. My mother used to tell me that once you embrace your weakness, no one can use it against you. 

 I do not want to sit comfortably in my own clouds of thoughts, safely and secure away from facing the reality. I want to see how strong my ideas are when put to test, open to evaluation and scrutiny and even deconstruction. That is why I appreciate criticisms.

" I would rather have one intellectual mind challenging my ideas than a hundred common minds ignorantly accepting it"

VAK Learning Style Test

So, today we had the VAK Learning Test. Oh boy, it was so much fun.... Anyways, with all the work piling up right now, I cant write and brag too long about my learning style. Put it short, I am an auditory learner and I dont completely agree with it. Nevertheless, read it and you can get some insights on how I study. Below is the extract I have from Wikipedia. You can know all about auditory learning from there before you actually proceed, even if you actually bother to proceed and read the rest.


Auditory learning is a learning style in which a person learns through listening. An auditory learner depends on hearing and speaking as a main way of learning. Auditory learners must be able to hear what is being said in order to understand and may have difficulty with instructions that are drawn but if the writing is in a logical order it can be easier to understand . They also use their listening and repeating skills to sort through the information that is sent to them.

Auditory learners may have a knack for ascertaining the true meaning of someone's words by listening to audible signals like changes in tone. When memorizing a phone number, an auditory learner will say it out loud and then remember how it sounded to recall it.

Auditory learners are good at writing responses to lectures they’ve heard. They’re also good at oral exams, effectively by listening to information delivered orally, in lectures, speeches, and oral sessions.

Proponents claim that when an auditory/verbal learner reads, it is almost impossible for the learner to comprehend anything without sound in the background. In these situations, listening to music or having different sounds in the background (TV, people talking, music, etc.) will help learners work better.

Auditory learners are good at storytelling. They solve problems by talking them through. Speech patterns include phrases “I hear you; That clicks; It's ringing a bell”, and other sound or voice-oriented information. These learners will move their lips or talk to themselves to help accomplish tasks.

So if you are reading this, congratulations. I am surprised how you are still reading this. I must be interestingg. So yeah, the methods I employ in studying is that.....I dont. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Just kidding, I am so hilarious!

Okay. Serious note, I always make notes and question myself while I am reading. I like making notes in an orderly organised manner. I dont draw mind maps. The beauty of notes is its ability to be inclusive of all the tiniest details. Significant ones though. By the way, I also do a lot of reading. I like to read so I can sit for hours and bury my head in a book.

That is all for today. I am done.

Chan Chee Ken (1507A101202) - Visual

Chia Tze San (1507A102007) - Kinaesthetic 

Sugheson (1507A101878) - Audio

Jungian/Myers-Briggs Personality Type

To begin with, I do not believe fully in such personality tests because I think that personality is a spectre of colours too diverse and subjective to be restricted in a rigid system of analysis. Anyways, I took the test and I must say that, it seems to be true to a certain extend although it's not all that completely true.

I got the ENFJ personality type which stands for; Extrovert, Intuition, Feeling and Judging.

"Extraverted feeling types seek continuity through harmonious relationships and collective values. They excel at picking up on the tone of a situation and acting accordingly, adding warmth to a cool setting or turning sour into sweet. They naturally seek to know what people do well, what they enjoy, and where and how they work. They seem to have an infinite number of acquaintances from all walks of life and are always on the lookout for people in need and those who can help out. ENFJs weave and strengthen the collective fabric of social conventions and interactions. Inclusiveness is important and they are particularly sensitive to those who are excluded. 

ENFJs focus on others, feeling a glow when those around them are happy, and troubled when something is amiss. They are natural cheerleaders, often expressing support, gratitude, and encouragement, and heaping praise onto those they appreciate. They take note of what is being done and what needs doing, offering their assistance wherever necessary. 

ENFJs enjoy organizing group activities and tend to take their commitments seriously. In general, they are reliable and do not like to disappoint others. As team players and project leaders, they have a gift for rallying their players, focusing on what is being done right and each member's strengths. They are loyal and they expect loyalty. They carry conversations well, finding common ground with their speaker. They tend to find the correct and gracious way to respond in any given situation, no matter how tense or uncomfortable it is. 

Types with dominant extraverted feeling may uphold a wide range of values, simply because shared values are what create harmony. Some will profess the importance of tough-minded logic, justice and scholarly debate because their environments have these shared values. They tend to adopt the collective values of those in their social group."

I also got Albus Dumbledore as my character in Harry Potter with that personality. Cheers to that :D

"Wise, introspective and eerily adept at understanding the motivations of others, Dumbledore was the epitome of a well-developed INFJ. He was fiercely analytical when it came to determining right from wrong and he was frequently able to see things in a universal scheme rather than simply referring to what was immediately apparent. Dumbledore’s wise, protective nature represented the INFJ archetype in its most developed form."

My thoughts?

Well personally, I think it is very true. At first, I was at disbelief at the results but I can relate to it. The only dissatisfaction is that, the test only stressed on the positives of a particular personality. I think it would be far more important to look into the negatives as well. So that we can analyse, reflect upon it and contemplate on how to improve our weaknesses. Nevertheless, it was an interesting test. :)

Taylor's Graduate Capabilities.

Taylor's recognizes that in order to be an active and worthy member of the global society, its students need to be equipped with the vast set of skills that will enable them to  be competitive and productive. Taylor's  holds strongly to their values and principles in providing a holistic education that will mould and shape its students to be leaders of the global community. In a capitalist world, competition is tremendously high and we need to produce students who possess the rare and cutting edge abilities and traits that makes them stand out from the rest. A symbolic representation of being the product of an excellence powerhouse. Taylor's has implemented and established a compulsory  and core component in the MPU modules that serves to provide the fundamentals that is required to achieve their goal. This module is specially and specifically designed in a manner to cater to the needs and prerequisites of character and cognitive skills building in students. A very useful and integral personality development module that serves its purpose with precision. And that is, the Taylor's Graduate Capabilities.



We believe strongly that these set of capabilities will distinguish Taylor's products from the rest, the extraordinary from the ordinary, the great from the mediocre, the leader from the follower, the brilliant from the smart. So what are exactly these capabilities? Are they some sort of rare fiction-like superpowers vested in the students? Or are they just a very functional set skills that can be taught? The answer.....is.....jeng...jeng jeng jeng....BOTH! Yes! Both. No, I am not lying. It is a set of skills that can be taught yet, it is a very rare superpower because it gives Taylorians a comparative advantage compared to other graduates. So what are they?

In short they are:
1. Discipline Specific Knowledge
2. Lifelong Learning
3. Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
4. Communication Skills
5. Interpersonal Skills.
6. Intrapersonal Skills
7. Citizenship and Global Perspectives
8. Digital Literacy



Today, I will be using a mind map that was made during class with my teammates and briefly yet concisely articulate elaborations,explanations and examples to illustrate five out of the eight capabilities stated above.

Using biology as a subject of this mind map. We are going to unravel and understand how these capabilities correlate and can be applied in our daily lives as students.

First, Biology stimulates Discipline Specific Knowledge. How so if you ask me?  It is simply because the act of understanding and retaining information is the fundamentals in learning. And discipline specific knowledge refers exactly to that. The ability to

memorize and apply the theory in real life complexities, the ability to make judgments and calculated, rational assumptions based on the limited resources of knowledge. This capabilities can be instilled and developed through revisions and experiments.

Next, we have Interpersonal Skills. We achieve this simply by sharing a collective consensus among  a few different individuals in order to achieve a particular goal. For example, presentations in groups and assignments serve well as tools to build this capability. We learn to interact with other people, embrace conflicting views and ideas and engaging in meaningful conversations trying to decipher the best range of solutions available at our disposal in overcoming an adversity. What more can serve better in attaining interpersonal skills if not for social interaction and integration? With that being said, the picture is painted clear of its objectives.

Then, we have Thinking and Problem Solving. We see that the field of biology has seen rapid development in order to provide better healthcare.  We have latest technology to assist in complicated procedures and this has helped to save lives. For example, heart transplant from cadaver has been one of the most shocking development in the field of biology. Such a feat is only possible when individuals take on the challenge of thinking out of the box, better yet, thinking like there is no box, flourish their creativity and come up with amazing solutions to solve persistent problems.

Furthermore, we have Lifelong Learning through Biology. As we  grow up, we realize that education is never ending. We learn something new every single day of our lives. As evidence, we can see that over the past few decades, our diet has changed to complement the modern day lifestyle. As we do our research, we understand our biological selves better and we try to correct the flaws. Now, many people are aware and conscious about their health. This is a good sign of lifelong learning.

Lastly, it comes down to Citizenship and Global Perspectives. You might find this rather odd but I find it uncompromisingly true because awareness of global health issues has began massive movements to make the world a better place for everyone. A very fine example to illustrate this point will be the outbreak of Ebola. We saw every country in the world coming together to curb this problem and we also witnessed many nations offering voluntary help on the basis of humanity. This proves we acknowledge our position as members of the global society. We realize that if there is a young boy who dies in Africa because of Ebola, it matters even though he is not our brother. If a teenage girl fights cancer her entire life and she dies, it matters to us even though she isn't our sister. We have opened up new horizons and shifted paradigms to see that we are all a part of big human race family. Humanity has come a long way and it is coming in strong!

With that being said, I believe I have done a worthy attempt to explain to the best of my understanding based on the way I perceive the world and I hope I have justified well enough. Thank you for reading through. Have nice day, have terrific day! Goodbye :)

Have You Met Sugheson?

Amateur political analyst. Future economist. Unspoken philosopher. Deep thinker. Avid bookworm. Mystical stargazer. Vocal liberal. Unorthodox. Malaysian first, Indian second. Pro-atheist and agnostic. Leisure poet. Self proclaimed Drake. Vibes to good music especially Rap. Nefelibata. Dreamer. Optimist. Believer. I'm a bit of madness, a pinch of magic, a touch of genius, a ray of hate, a tweak of love, partly a monster.

Enough with the over dramatic introduction. My name is Sugheson A/L Nagarajan. Turned 18 on the 16th of January, early this year. I'm from Penang, Pearl of the Orient, the food paradise. A Bank Negara scholar doing A Levels in Taylor's College Subang Jaya.

Currently, I'm on  mission to grow a sexy beard and I'm failing miserably.  Okay. I'm only doing this blog because I was forced to, by Mr Irwan. About me.... I'm 180 cm ++ (not too sure) I'm tall and talkative. Talkative to a point that I may be annoying but rarely so. I'm quite funny because being handsome isn't a choice. I'm a good listener. I dont have a favourite colour. Die hard Liverpool fan. #YNWA

I'm a big admirer of Mahatma Gandhi, Obama and Najib. Heuheuheu. My friends used to say that Marx is my middle name but I'm no communist. I'm against race based politics. I love Malaysia.  I'm very expressive. Not strongly opinionated. That's just briefly about me.

Speaking of my achievements, I can eat so much yet remain skinny. My feet size is 12. I have hairy legs. Hahaha. Okay. Real talk. I was a prefect in form 5 from the prestigious Penang Free School. I am also a theatre play actor, small scale though. I was my sport house, Cheeseman Captain. We won the trophy last year. Lastly, my SPM results were decent enough to get me a scholarship. Damn, I guess I'm an underachieving kid.

I will be honest with you. I don't have an ambition. But I am very sure that my future revolves around Economics and Politics. I have a great deal of passion and curiosity for it. I know I will be happy doing anything in that field. So, I guess being economist is fair enough an ambition.

Lastly, I need to disclose the university of my choice...
My dream is to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) in Oxford University. I call it - The Oxford Dream. Yes, it seems like too lofty a target for a person of my calibre. I'm realistic. I work on the principle that as long as the chances are there, regardless of how slim they are, I refuse to compromise or quit trying. I'm willing to try on probability percentage of 0.000001%.  If I fail, I will whole heartedly accept it but until I fail, I will never compromise. Nevertheless, Plan B is to secure a place in one of the following universities:

2. Warwick
3. UCL
4. Exeter
5. LSE

That is all for this entry. Have a nice day. :)