Conducted by: Prof Barjayai Bin Bardai

1st day

Interesting class to start new segment after a month of learning communication skills. Being creative and innovative is not hard, but with our perceptions and things we learn during school days make it harder for us to use our right brain (creative brain). I myself never thought that I can be creative, thinking of designing new invention, or maybe just drawing a simple table or house that look nice. But today I know that I actually only use 2% of my right brain and there are ways to induce it to make use of this side of brain that has been left too long.

I am loving this class. It makes me believe that I can do things beyond my imagination. Speaking of Neuro-Language Programming (NLP), I think I used much of my conscious mind and leave behind the sub-conscious mind. Maybe I was being too logical (maths nerd), too calculative and too skeptical. I guess it is time to brush up my creative brain and be more awesome.

Prof Barjayai asked us to stab a raw potato with a straw. Impossible? Nope. Even though I only reached halfway (as you need to stab it through the potato, so that you can see the straw at both ends), I know I can stab through it if i put all my mind and energy to it. Some of my mates could do it, so can I.


Then, he let us be creative by asking us to think of any new creative ideas, list down all the ideas in 20 minutes. Some were crappy, but some were also very genius and creative. The ideas that I love includes:

• taste-detector ladle (very useful during fasting)
• colour-changing pen
• drive-thru market
• brooch that change colour to match to a tudung

Prof has this bag like a Doraemon bag. It contains many creative things that he bought from all over the world. The one that catches my attention was the spectacles with an mp3 and camera. We didn't know that Prof was actually capturing while he was wearing the glasses. haha good invention for those stalkers.

There were some videos that Prof showed, and I was in awe watching the videos. One of it was how this super duper genius Anand Agarawala took an innovation in computer to a whole other level that is beyond our imagination. CLICK HERE to watch his video.

BIOSELF logo with its tag line - 3P

Report Writing / Business Proposal

Conducted by: Mdm Norfarahiyah Mohd Kamal & Mdm Norliza Mohd Hashim

Report writing is important and is the key to make one proposal accepted. If a report is lacking the essentials needed, investor will not buy what you want to perceive. You need to know your audience, whom you are trying to convince. Other than that, you need to know the fundamental questions that will arise as to address to the problem that you need to solve which includes:

• What is the current situation?
• What is needed to improve the current situation?
• What is a good plan for improving the current situation?
• Why are you, as the bidders, the best-qualified people to do the work?
• How much will the work cost?
• What are the tangible benefits of the plan?

Components of a proposal consist of:

• Copy of RFP
• Letter of Transmittal
• Executive Summary
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures
  

We need to write a report, or more precise a proposal to get RM30 million grant for our project. So our group (BIOSELF) decided to make a product for this project. Our product is called FEASTIC which is a biodegradable plastic made from chicken feather. yes, CHICKEN FEATHER. It is possible because feather has a compound called keratin, which can be the raw ingredient to make this eco-friendly plastic. Why we choose chicken feather? It's because only 20% of the feathers are used to make feather duster, fan and craft. The remaining 80% are thrown as waste. So why not we convert this unwanted byproduct into something useful and can be degraded in few years time. =)

Effective Resume

1. Maximum of THREE pages
2. Font - Arial / Times New Roman ( size 10 - 12)
3. Includes Personal Details, Education Qualification, Working Experience, Skills and Strengths, Co-Curricular activities / Achievements and Referees.
   
4. Aligned accordingly and no boxes. Only bullet form (if needed)
5. Word choice - must be able to attract the potential employer.
   

* a maximum time given for an employer to read a resume is 45 seconds. Therefore, your resume must be able to attract them within that 45 seconds.

Cover Letter - only ONE (1) page. Just a simple letter to tell the company why you want to work with them and your qualification together with abilities/skills.

Conducting Effective Meeting

This session is conducted by Assoc. Prof. Mohd Khir Ashari. This session is important as it might come to one of our task if someday (in full of hope) we are the corporate leader in the industry we are in.

Meeting is important to make decision, to know whether the meeting is invalid or not (because whatever goes out from the meeting will become invalid if the meeting itself invalid) and to conduct it legally and efficiently.

Good news about meetings -> empowering, great way to communicate, development of work skills and leadership, and morale boosting.

Bad news about meetings -> may not have focus, have too many meetings, attendees may be unprepared and most of it are time wasted.

THREE GOLDEN RULES (Validity of a meeting)

• properly CONVENED - must send notice of a meeting, must know whom to come, if there are 1000 people, each one must get the notice. The notice includes place, date, day, time, business to transact, kind of meeting and date of the notice. It must be signed by an authorized person.

• properly CONSTITUTED - to muster a quorum and to maintain a quorum. No irregularity of the chairman's appointment.

• properly HELD- chairman must ensure the meeting is properly ascertained.

We also learn the roles of a chairman (duties, qualifications) and how a chairman can be removed.

Other important aspect of a meeting is also the AGENDA of the meeting. It must be in a 'bell curve' structure, where a meeting is held with a light agenda following through a heavier one, and end the meeting with another light agenda.

Public Speaking

Wednesday (8th Dec 2010)

I learnt about Public Speaking conducted by En Hisyam Ab. Karim and Miss Shadwan Hanani (Nani). It's quite an interesting class and fun too.

Public Speaking is important as it enhances our communication skills and improves our ability to speak confidently with new people. Moreover, it can make us use language properly, knows the correct intonation and can discuss about almost everything (general issues, politics, history, sports etc).

Elements of public speaking includes:

• volume
• rate
• emphasis
• articulation
• organization
• word choice

These elements are the key to be a good public speaker. Knowing when to raise volume at which rate, which words need to be emphasized, pronouncing the words correctly and organizing sentences using the suitable word choice are very crucial to attract the audience attention. Learning the correct gestures while speaking to the audience is also important because sometimes a person does not realize that he/she overdo it or has the wrong gestures, or even more, has no gestures at all, standing like a still tree. We also need the correct emotions and expressions when speaking in public.

In addition to the elements above, we need to know our audience. If we were to talk in public with all sorts of people, we cannot use jargon that they don't understand. We need to know how to simplify our words because in the end public speaking is about conveying message. We need to know that our audience gets what we're trying to tell.

To get a better understanding on how these elements work, practice is the ultimate recipe. A person can learn and memorize all the elements but without practice it will go nowhere.

As for this session, En.Hisyam and Miss Nani asked us to draw about the first thing that came into our mind. Ten of us were called to the front to talk about what we drew. I was thinking about going to the ladies room, so i drew,

*The actual drawing is too hideous to be posted here*

I didn't know that we need to go in front to talk about what we drew. It was impromptu and I didn't know what to talk about. Others were drawing cat, mic, scenery, money (notes) so they knew what to talk. But as I looking at my picture, somehow it looked like the ginger bread man, (in this case it was ginger bread lady) so I talked about how I love to bake and it's a tradition for me to bake cookies and cake for Hari Raya and how I waited every year to make scrumptious choc chips, pineapple tart and my very own 'kueh putri salju' which is my friends' favorite. I was supposed to talk for about 5 minutes but En. Hisyam was very understanding that the nature has called so he allowed me to go to the ladies. *shy*

Then, each group were given a task whereby we need to come up with ideas on how to sell a product. My group (Bioself) got a teddy bear. We promoted it by giving description to the teddy bear by each letter of the word T E D D Y B E A R. I got the letter 'E', which stands for Entertainer. I promoted the bear by saying that he's such an entertainer that he can sing, dance and make a person happy by lighten up the surrounding.

Training at BeST (1st day)

Ok, so today is my first day here, at UNIRazak, Capital Square. I am here for training under Biotech Corp. which is called Biotechnology Entrepreneurship Special Training (BeST). yes, I'll be here in CapSquare for three months. i hope everything will go well. i hope i can make new friends, gain more knowledge and just have fun while doing it.

Some say it's not worth my time joining this training, with the allowence of only RM1000/mth. but hey, it's better than nothing right? people need to pay for education but i am payed to learn. so i have got nothing to lose here. plus, it's here in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, and CapSquare itself has its own shopping mall (cafes and cinema). and the best part is, it's near LRT station (Dang Wangi). i can travel by LRT to go here and i am an LRT person. i have been travelling by LRT since my high school years, and i think it's hassle free. now they have extended their coaches to four, so i think it'll cut more time queing to get in.

so yeah, no complaint. weeheee.....