Saturday, 7 December 2013

Measurement 1

Assignment 1

 My partner and I in the library.
 The final copy of the assignment.
        The first assignment required us to prepare a complete taking off for the structural elements of a chosen building. We were given a roll of the real construction plan. To complete this task, we formed 10 people in a group and 2 people are doing each part. We were required to produce a complete taking off, taking-off list, query list and billing quantities for all the elements of the buildings. At first we have no idea on what we going to do but we have a better understanding on what we going to do after Ms Ang brief us on the assignment. Due to the lack of the construction plan, we printed 4 copies of it so that everyone can start doing their part and brought convenient for all.
        My partner is Ng Wei Lin and we were doing the second part which is work below ground floor level including site clearance, excavation, ground floor slab, ground floor beams and apron slab. Firstly, we look through all the plans of our part. Then, we start measuring every single part carefully to avoid mistake. Some scales were given but we still need a scale rule when the scale are not given. We used almost one week to measure everything and compared the answered to achieve consistency and accuracy. After that, we distributed parts to copy. I spent my Sunday to copy all the draft into the dimension paper which is the final copy. Then, we compiled them and make a summary and billing quantities for all.
        I feel that it is very important to pay attention and take notes in the class. It is also important to understand the clauses in SMM 2 to help us in doing measurement. However, I do think that I still need to further improve myself by practicing more because the basic is important for me to continue my following semesters in QS.

Test
        I never thought that the test would be so straight forward as compared to what we did in the tutorial class. However, I think that I didn’t do my best in the test as I can score higher. Thus, I will be spending more time to prepare for my final exam.

Site visit report
 Ms Ang, Mr Zu and Mr Omar. Mr Omar is giving a short briefing before we enter the site.
 My classmates and I.
        We went for a site visit to Symphony Hills in Cyberjaya on the 29th of November. The trip was leaded by Ms Ang. Before going for it, we were informed by Ms Ang that everyone of us must have a helmet for our own safety. It was a new experience for me to go for a visit at a construction site. During the site visit, I have seen the physical things that we learnt in Measurement 1 such as soffit and pad footing. It was a good experience as I gained knowledge from there. Now, I understand the basics of construction process as I being exposure to actual working environment on site. Furthermore, I also aware that the importance of safety on site. It gives me a better understanding in this field of construction industries. I do hope that I can go to other sites in the future.

Reflection
        Throughout the 14 weeks of learning, I gained a lot of knowledge about the work as a Quantity Surveyor. By doing the group assignment, I knew that without a good leader, we won’t be doing well. We also spent time after class to do the assignment together in the library. The cooperation of every group members is much appreciated and the team power is made up while everyone contribute in the assignment. Besides, I am able to extract and utilise the information effectively by referring to the notes and by asking questions. In addition, I am able to put theories into practise when I go for a site visit. Last but not least, I am thankful for the patience and effort of Ms Ang for teaching us and giving us extra classes. ‘A good beginning makes a good ending’, I hope things go well in my following semesters. This is just a beginning as I still have a lot to learn in the future before I become a professional Quantity Surveyor.

Construction Technology

Assignment
        We had only a group assignment for this module. Before we start doing it, Mr Leong has brief us through the assignment brief. The task is to study the building you live. Hence, we formed a group of 5 people and select Suriamas Condominium as the building to observe. In order to complete this assignment, we took photos of parts of the building like floor slab, column etc. Besides, we did some sketches as well and inserted in the report. I found out that what we have done for the assignment can be related to the lecture that given by Mr Leong. We also did some research on the internet for extra information.

Site Report

Scalffold that found on the site.

Some examples of temporary works.
        We went for a site visit to Symphony Hills in Cyberjaya on the 29 of November. Overall, it was a good experience for me as I gained knowledge of this module from there. Now, I have a better understanding on what is the temporary work as I being exposure to actual working environment on site. Through the site visit, I understand the basics of construction process. It gives me a better understanding in this field of construction industries. Lastly, I do hope that I can visit to other construction sites in the future.

Reflection
        This subject gave me a thought on how is the construction industries operate and it needs us, the future Quantity Surveyor in this society. To become parts of the industries, it does not have an easy way. All we have to do now is to do more reading and be alert of the construction industries.  Furthermore, I realised that team work is important when it comes to a group work. It gave me an idea of working together with different kind of colleagues in the future. Last but not least, I would like to say thank you to Mr Leong Boon Tik for the effort he made to make us understand his lecture who has been giving us extra information most of the time based on his experiences. 

Building Materials

Assignment 1
My team members and I.

The picture shows that I am presenting my parts.
        The first assignment required us to form a group of 5 members and carry out a presentation on a building material. The building material that we have chosen is timber. We were asked to search for the information about timber including the types of timber, properties, function, advantages and disadvantages. We had distributed parts among the group members. Before that, Puan Has gave us a short briefing about what we required to do. She prefers us to refer to the books in the library rather than the sources in the internet.
        On the presentation day, my group mates and I were the first group to present. All of us were nervous, but we did our best to make it a good presentation. During the presentation, we tried not to read out everything in the slides but to understand and memorize the important keywords. We also make the slides as short as possible but informative.

Assignment 2

The outer look of Starhill Gallery.
The floor plan of Starhill Gallery.
The inner look of Starhill Gallery.
         In second assignment, we were asked to visit to a building and observe three building materials that can be found in the building. We formed a group of 5 people. The building we have selected is Starhill Gallery in Kuala Lumpur. We selected a date to visit to the place. During the visitation, we took photos to put into our report. We also observe and identify the material use for the parts of the building. In the report, we explained 3 types of building materials which are stone, glass and timber. 
Midterm test
        We had our midterm test for this module. For me, I think the midterm test is quite straight forward which we can easily understand the module by reading the lecture notes prepared by Puan Has. By paying attention in the class, students are able to answer the questions.
Site visit report
We formed a line when entering into the building.



Some building materials that I found on the site.
        We had a site visit to the construction site in Cyberjaya which is Symphony Hills. We went there on the 29th of November. It was the first time I went to a construction site. During the site visit, I have seen various building materials on the site. I think It was a good experience as I gained knowledge from there. It gives me a better understanding in this field of construction industries.

Reflection
       Throughout the 14 weeks, I have learnt a lot and achieved the learning outcomes of the module. I have learnt the importance of group power. It is good to learn independently but in group project,  I have learnt how to work together with my group members. I also learnt to manage my time well to avoid rushing in the last minutes. From the presentation, I learnt to speak in front of my classmates and the lecturer. I also able to make my presentation slides as simple as possible as a technique to effectively transfer information to others.  Besides, I also think critically to achieve a better understanding in this module. Other than that, I able to put theories into practice when I had my site visit to Symphony Hills in Cyberjaya. Now, I can identify the materials use for a building.

Introduction to Law



TEST
        We had two tests for this subject. Test 1 covers Contract Law whereas test 2 covers Tort Law. It is important to pay fully attention in the lecture class because Ms Shoba speaks very fast. This subject required us to memorize all the case laws and we need to fully understand it in order to get a good result. The way I study for this subject is by making my own notes. Besides, I have tried to listen to the lecture recording.

        By taking this subject, I have known some law that can use to defend myself when I am working in the society one day. I also knew that every single person has their human rights and there are laws that protect the harmony of the society.  Lastly, I would like to say thank you to Ms Shoba as the effort she made in these 14 weeks. :)

Thursday, 13 June 2013

Effective Public Communication

Reflection
        For Effective Public Communication [FCOM 0102], there are 4 learning outcomes of this subject. At the end of this module, I am able to explain the concepts of communication, both verbal and nonverbal, and how people behave and communicate in different situations. Besides, I am able to apply the principles of communication and behaviour in analysing interaction with others, both at individual and at group levels. Furthermore, I demonstrate an ability to analyse and response to handling conflict as well as efficient negotiation skills in dealing with variety of individuals. Lastly, I am aware of the importance of cultural differences and respect cultural differences as well as to build healthy and positive relationships with fellow students, co-workers and clients.

        To achieve these learning outcomes, I think that students should read EPC text book more often as I personally think that it is really helpful. Other than that, we should interact more with the people surround us to improve the communicating skill. Besides, we should always read article about the culture of other countries to improve our knowledge as well as respect other cultures besides of our own culture. Lastly, I think students should practice effective listening.

        This subject is interesting because I gained much knowledge after taking this subject. However, I realise that they are still a lot of non-verbal messages to learn in the future as I only know some of them. The learning strategies that have been proved effectively is that I am able to demonstrate an ability to analyse and response to handling conflict as well as efficient negotiation skills in dealing with variety of individuals. Lastly, my understanding towards EPC concept is not strong enough and I should spend more time in improving it.

Class Test
        I sat for a class test in the early of the semester. I personally think that the paper was tough and I couldn’t answer most of the questions.

Individual Essay
        My topic of the individual essay was ‘Despite the great technological advances and more exposure to people of other cultures, divisions between people of different cultures at times seems to have only intensified.’ Based on the question, we need to relate it to the concept found in the text book.

Group Assignment- Illustration and Script
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
        I was in a group of 4 members and the topic given to us was ‘Listening’. This assignment required us to think a story line and draw it as a comic on A3 size paper. The job assigned to Hui Zhen and I was drawing while Yii Shin and Yi Wei think of the storyline and theories applied in the story.

English 2

Reflection
        For English 2 [ENGL 0205], we have done 3 class assignments which are observing the vegetable, analysis the Genre of movies and compare them as well as debate in the class.
        After completing all the assignments, I have achieved the learning outcomes of this module. The 4 learning outcomes I have achieved is reading, writing, listening and speaking. At the end of the reading session, I am able to analyse and evaluate reading texts critically. The writing sessions enable myself to research, write a well-developed and well-organized 5-paragraph critical or argumentative essay as well as longer research essays with correct format and referencing techniques. Besides, I am able to identify speaker’s role, expression, relationship and attitude as conveyed through stress and intonation as well as develop listening in preparation for a tertiary programme at the end of the listening process. Lastly, the speaking sessions has developed my interviewing skills, deliver presentations publically as well be able to apply argumentative strategies in specific situations.
        In order to achieve these outcomes, the right attitudes I practice are not giving up easily, learn from the mistakes and always think positively. No one is 100% perfect, so do I. I am not really good in English but I always find my ways to learn and speak to others. I never give up in doing so. And, every time my friends correct my mistakes, I accept them and try to improve it. I as well believe in myself and think positively always. I have to read more English book to improve my reading and writing skills. Besides, I also encourage myself to listen to how people speak proper English and started to communicate with people using English.
        At the end of the semester, I have achieved the learning outcomes of reading, writing, listening and speaking.
        After completing the module, I found out that the reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills are very important in our daily life. It is also useful for my future studies and when I am working in the society. By doing the assignments given in the class, I found out that I am weak in reading and writing. I would always need to read the passage twice to understand it. Besides, I also found out that I need improvement in my grammar as I did some grammar mistakes in my assignments.  The listening strategies has been proved effective as I am able to identify speaker’s role, expression, relationship and attitude as conveyed through stress and intonation as well as develop listening in preparation for a tertiary programme. I think that speaking session can be further improved as I would sometimes stuck and out of words in the middle of the conversation.

Assignments

The Vegetable
The onion and I  
        It was the first assignment given to us and I have chosen onion as my vegetables. In order to complete this circuitous describing essay, I have used the all of the 5 senses of the human body. It is undeniable tough for me to write in depth about the onion.

The Genre Analysis and compare/contrast of movies
        I have chosen 2 historical movies which are ‘Troy’ and ‘The Eagle’. Both of the movies are considered as action films which involve a lot of fighting scenes in the movies. In this assignment, I was assigned to do the contrast between both of the movies.

Class Debate
        We formed a group of 3 members in a group for the debate team and my group members are Osman and Ho Yi Wei. The topic of our debate is ‘The voting age in Malaysia should be lowered to 18 year old’. Osman was the first speaker as well as the rebuttal, Ho Yi Wei was the second speaker and I was the third speaker. We are ‘For’ and support our statement.

Research Assignment
Photo of us with the owners of La Vanille, Penang. 

Photo of us with the supervisor of Bread Story at Sunway Pyramid Branch.    

Photo of us with the supervisor of Free Mori at SS15.
        For this assignment, our task is to do a comparative research on 3 businesses of the same type. Hence, we decided to approach pastry business. During the trip to Penang, my team mate and I had approached La Vanille Pastry Shop. In Klang Valley, we approached Free Mori at SS15 and Bread Story at Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall.

Video Presentation
Me and Ho Yi Wei

        For the speaking task, every group was given different topic to speak about. I have to speak to a group of visitors to Penang from Western Europe, US and Canada. Hence, my team mate and I worked together to find as much information as we could. I personally think it was quite challenging as there were not much information on the internet.



Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Mathematics

Introduction
        An assignment was given to us and we need to work in a group of 4-6 people. This assignment required us to construct the object, determine the total surface area of the object and calculate its volume. Thus, for the e-portfolio, we are to discuss three mathematical theories that we used in order to complete this assignment.
Group Members:
Chung Hui Ping
Ho Yi Wei
Wong Yii Shin
Chin Jen Pang
Sia Yu Rong
Seow Wen Yang
This is the question paper given to us by the lecturer.
The model we constructed
The first mathematical theory applied is trigonometry.

This formula is only applied for right angle triangle.
I had applied tan x = Opposite/Adjacent to find the angle of the triangle when its length of opposite and adjacent sides are given.  

The second theory I applied is Area of a segment.

Refer to the picture above, area of a segment is the area confined by circumference and chord.
Thus, to find the shaded area of a segment, I have applied the formula of ½ r2 (θ – sin θ).

Lastly, I have calculated the volume of pyramid by using the formula below.
Volume of pyramid = 1/3 x Base Area x Height

By using this formula, we are able to calculate the volume taken out from the cylinder.

Below are the formula sheets of our assignment :-

Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5

Reflection
As a conclusion, this assignment was challenging at first as we do not have the idea on how to construct the model and we were not sure which formula should be use in order to solve the problem. However, me and my team mates gathered and discussed in a group and we finally solved it. It was a great experience for me and I find it interesting though. At the end of this assignment, I realised that mathematic is not an easy subject and needs to do a lot of exercises for improvement. Besides, I also gained mathematical knowledge and know what formula should be use under different circumference.

Principles of Economics


Reflective Essay
        My favorite topic for this subject is topic 2 which is Price Theory (Part 1)-Demand. It is about market or buyer demand. The Law of demand states that as the price of a product increases, the quantity demanded will become lower, and vice versa. This topic explains the factors that affect the demand and under which circumstances people will demand more. Besides, I learnt to construct demand curve which has the characteristic of downward-sloping. Furthermore, I also get to know the factors that lead to the movements & shifts of demand curve. This topic is my favorite topic as I found out that it is easy to understand and not complicated when compared to other topics. It was also the topic that leads me to have interested in this subject when I was first introduced to Economics.
        Topic 7- Market Competition (Part 1) is my least favorite topic. It is about types of market which the markets are divided into 4 categories according to the strength of competition in that market. This topic states about the barriers to enter for each of the market. Besides, it also states about how monopolies maximize their profit, the elasticity of demand curve and its reason. This topic as well explains about government policies toward monopoly. This is my least favorite topic as it is hard to be understood as it has some new terms that I don’t understand. To make this topic better, I would take more time to revise this topic. I would also make notes to help me in memorizing the terms in this topic.
        I find Topic 4 which states about market equilibrium as most applicable to my daily life and future studies. By studying this topic, I get the idea of how selling price affect the demand and supply in the market. In my daily life, I find it useful as I am able to determine at what price and under what circumstances should I buy certain product. Whereas in my future studies, if I am a supplier, I will be able to set the appropriate price so that there will be no oversupply or shortage in the market and hence the market equilibrium can be reach. Besides, I will be able to find the solution if there is oversupply or shortage. At last, I think this subject is interesting and most of the notes are easy to understand.

Photos
The photo of us with the owners of La Vanille at Penang for our Project.
The photo of us with the supervisor of Free Mori at SS15 for our Project.
One of the photo of me and friends during the study trip to Penang.

Assignment

Introduction to Business

Reflective Essay
        My favorite topic for Business is Topic 6-Developing Market Strategies. It is about the marketing process, marketing plans (Product, Price, Place, Promotion, Packaging) and consumer buying process. This topic is my favorite topic because everything is in common sense that I can easily get the ideas when reading it unlike other topics that usually take me time to understand. The terms in this topic are also easy to memorize plus there are a lot of simple graphics and charts along in the slides that would definitely form the idea of what this topic is about.
        My least favorite topic is Topic 4.1-Managing a Business (Part 2). This topic is generally about ‘organize’. The reason that I show least favorite in this topic is because it has a lot to memorize. For example, they are 3 types of organization structure and each of them has different function, different strengths and weakness. Apart from that, they are complicated charts. They are also different committees which set up for different purposes and the terms used are all new which I have never seen before. I think that by spending more time in doing revision and reading the notes over and over again could make this topic better.
        I find that Topic 5.1- Staffing, Training & Compensating Your Employees as most applicable for my everyday life and future studies. For now, I would always improve myself in many ways so that I can get an offer for a better job next time. This motivates me to work harder as most company look for excellent candidates to work in their company.  In the future, I will be able to know the requirement for most of the company and the hiring process so that I can be prepared before going for interview, and able to compare the salary levels for similar jobs in the same industry. Besides, I will be able to work with a company which provides the most benefits for their workers. This subject is definitely new for me and I find it interesting and useful for my future.

Photos
One of the group work we did in the class.
The advertisement board for our products.

Some of the handmade products we sell.

My group members and our booth.
The last day of Charity Drive Event
We passed the cheque of our donation to Precious Children's Home in PJ.
Assignments